ACT ATONE
by cheshiwrites
Summary: You'd grown addicted to the genocide run - what did that say about you? Regardless of whatever kind of tragedies lead your life, why did you have to go and take it out on the lives of those monsters, again, and again, and again? You're twisted, and now - You've gained the fate you deserve, the nasty, nameless player. UNLESS, OF COURSE YOU LEARN TO ATONE.
1. Chapter 1 - Beginning

It had all come down to this ─── Everything you've worked for, you've finally reached the peak of Undertale. You'd run down every road from your own twisted curiousity, having purchased the game only weeks back - you'd come to milk the code for all it was worth. You had saved everyone from the first try; ultimately a struggle for a more-or-less incompetent gamer, but when things were simpler, so was your morality.

You remembered it well, the first feeling of watching the characters taste sunlight for the first time in years ─ It was when things were happier, it was when life was meant to be enjoyed in such a beautiful, earnest way. You remembered that night well - you had reached a goal in which you saved so many lives, and they all could live peacefully together. Even if you couldn't be a part of it ─── In the end, you remembered the tears hitting your eyes to be ones of cherishment. You watched their happy ending be fulfilled, touching the screen - hoping to feel the gentle light of the sun upon your skin just like theirs.

You were happy, and the game mirrored that.

 _"Your mother's growing skinner by the day,_  
 _If she catches anything as simple as a cold - she could be in serious trouble."_

You remembered the car ride home. At first, you didn't feel anything - You'd been preparing for this for a while. You watched as someone you adored start to slowly rot into the ground, day by day. It was something that slowly enveloped you. It was a simple pain, and not something that effected you immediately────

However it was then that your curiousity started to delve to something disgusting.

You'd picked up that game again. Every day that she grew worse, you tried something new. You saved everyone, you killed everyone - You saved only those who were kind to you, and you destroyed the lives of the unnecessary. You rescued all the bosses, killed only the bosses - played every neutral through and watched their individual reactions,

Receiving a different phone call from Sans every time, reminding you of your sins.

Your father wasn't taking the health of your mother well. In fact, as he too grew worse - the game mirrored you. Eventually you had reached a point where you stopped seeking out different endings and lines of dialogue; you stopped searching for the items, and merely became a slave to the no-mercy route. You felt horrid at first - watching the froggit die with a horrid squeal.

But now, eyes on screen, you watch the climax of the battle take place. Your character marred to the very bone by the skeleton, having experienced more deaths than possibly accountable for what you'd done, you lean back in your chair as you watch him fall asleep.

You knew what to do next. After all, the time had come where you'd completed more genocide-runs than neutral, or even pacifist. It's what the circumstance turned you into, and now - You just watched as those small letters loomed above his head, indicating he had fallen asleep.

He was sure of himself, but you were sure of yourself more.  
You edge your little cursor to the left - little, by little. You don't keep an eye on him. You didn't need to.

And now, you went down ─── Down to the attack option. He would dodge, you would kill him, and it would be over once again until you reset alongside Chara.  
Your lips tighten,

As the cursor hovers over the attack option, however─── You catch something out of the corner of your eye. You hesitated to press down on the _'z'_ button - For right before your eyes, something flashed.

 **[ACT]** [ACT] **[ACT]** [ACT] **[ACT]**

Thick brows furrow, and your finger twitches. This was not a part of the code - No, this had never happened before. There was a mercy option within the final battle, but never had any ACT option made itself known to you. Truth be told, you were curious─── Do you look it up, before you leap?

 _Nah._  
 _Where was the fun in that_ _ **?**_

Just the corner of the ACT box was available to you in your square─── The game's code wouldn't allow your square to move any further than left or down, so within your limited space, you throw the dog a bone and activate the new option.

 *** Sans**

Something curious pops up in the screen.

❤ * **Check**

 *** Atone**

And within that moment, hearing the scatter of your father shouting and the silence dissipating - you stare at that word and all it held out for you. Was it another round of MERCY, or was it something entirely different? You'd come so far, and shockingly, the fight between you and the skeleton hadn't grown any easier ─── You sit there, looking at that one, single, word.

* **Check**

❤ *** Atone**

And biting to your lip, you press the 'z' button - waiting almost in desperation for something new to happen. Anything. You wanted ANYTHING to happen.

 _Nothing does._

And within that moment, something seems to sink. Another hope, perhaps? You barely knew─── You'd completed this run so many times, you thought your fingers would grow numb from tapping away at the keys. You look back to Sans, still sleeping as soundly as he always had. What would it mean to atone?

Would it mean you would be able to erase all those lives you'd destroyed tenfold?  
You reach out to the screen,

And finally, you pull away from the keyboard ─ You decide to humour the skeleton's theory. You stand up, taking in a breath - stepping away from the monitor. It wasn't gonna be your turn, ever.  
 _But did that warrant you forgiveness if you sat besides him?_

And with a shocked breath, the speakers begin to play a tune. It had been exactly four minutes since you pressed ATONE, and now, the familiar sound of _'memory'_ plays blissfully through your computer. You look back to Sans ── Almost as if you were frightened that music suddenly playing would wake him up, and everything you'd ever achieved would be over.

As he continues to snooze, you take a calming breath.

But before you even hold the opportunity to exhale, you open your eyes. You're not in your room, you're not in front of your laptop─── You're within a church that's lost all its light, in front of a skeleton who had blissfully dozed off from all his effort to destroy you.

You look behind, and low and behold── There lay Frisk in a similar fashion. Almost as if all their will to act had been torn out of their body, you look down at hands that had quickly grown clammy. Was this a dream?

You give yourself a pinch, just to find out───  
 _"──F-SHiT-"_ The number one appears above your head - Congratulations, you've just lost one hp, smartass.

And within that moment, recovering from the previous self-inflicted onslaught─ You look back to the skeleton. A light breath enters your lungs with an unforgiving shiver, creeping up to him slowly - Perhaps it was your most idiotic move yet,

Curling up a finger, you reach slowly forward to brush the fingers along the white dome──  
BUT BEFORE YOU EVEN TRY, A HAND SNAPS UP YOUR WRIST,

and before you know it, you're dangling down from his grip - those eyes boring straight through you.

"'dunno how you got here, kiddo," that voice is like a knife, running over your jugular in only the fashion a true sadist would display. That grin stretched along unmoving bone cuts into your skin with a fear unlike any other,

He displays a nonchalant shrug, before those white orbs flush to darkness,

 **"but didn't y'mother ever tell you not to get tangled up in other people's business?"**

He must have felt caught up in Chara's tricks ── Being thrown around and around, thrusting attack after attack in the sheer attempt to stop the final threat from destroying the Underground once and for all. You look down at him, arm threatening to finally dislodge itself your shoulder - Was this atonement?

With tears rolling down your cheeks, you couldn't do anything but choke. You weren't Frisk. You weren't Chara. You were just afraid ─ And now, you were going to pay for making the last man standing go completely insane over, and over, and over again.

But pathetically, you hiccup- staring into the dark orbs of death himself.

 _"Ple──"_ Before you even hold it in you to plead, as easy as crumpling a piece of paper - your bones snap under the strength of his own. Your wrist collapses on itself, and your scream is all that fills the empty church. He'd broken your wrist, and he'd done it without mercy. If you don't do something soon, he'll kill you too────

"how 'bout you spill what you did to the kid, before we start going _anywhere?_ "

 ** _───Just like you damn-well deserve._**


	2. Chapter 2 - Purgatory

You struggled against the feeling of waking─── Head pounding, and the first thing you could feel was the vicious nipping of snow against your cheek. Eyes stinging, and wrist doing little but throb against your skin ─ You knew only darkness now, amidst a forest where only the crows would watch.

As you drag yourself to your feet, feathers are thrust upon the ground as they scatter─── The sound of eerie life filling your ears, you take in your first, parched breath. You were thirsty, in pain - and badly broken. You had never felt so much pain in your body before ─ And now, you were all alone.

You look around - Trees, trees, and more trees. It was a scene of isolation - And with the pain seering at your side, only moments from waking up, you find yourself collapsing again. Knees hitting the ground below, you empty what's left of your stomach, and come back up even more thirsty than before. You weren't used to this ──── What would happen if you died?

 _Would you be shunted back out of the game, or would you be stuck in limbo until it was inevitably reset?_

You look up to the sky ─ If you were here, that meant there was nobody watching your monitor. Was anyone even playing the game anymore, or did it crash? Did the code only come to life when the application was open, or were you here until inevitably, someone else would pick up the game from where you were left off?

 _Were you even in your own game anymore?_  
 _Or was this someone else's?_

You decide to take a leap of faith─── And by that, pathetically hobble through the trees. How did you get here again? You couldn't remember ─ All that seemed to haunt you was the injuries now festering on your arm. You could feel the bones squirming under your skin - Making you jolt and pant with every movement you took.

You tried to cradle it ─ You could only thank the heavens that the skeleton hadn't dragged your limb straight from your socket like you originally thought. You needed to find somewhere - You needed to find items.

Theoretically speaking, if this was a genocide run ─ That meant Snowdin would be available if you kept going North. You could filter through their items there, and find something to both heal you, and protect yourself with. You keep walking ─── Being sure to avoid the bridge out of paranoia that the code would make Sans appear. Everywhere was somewhere he could turn up ── and the further you walked, the more you began to sweat.

You didn't think he knew who exactly you were─── While he knew a lot of things, he had no way of telling what you had to do with Frisk's actions. You wondered if Frisk was still there in the church; lifeless as a corpse. What made you more afraid was the knowledge that Sans WAS awake -

 _He would have_ _ **killed**_ _Frisk... right?_

"..."  
If he found out ─── He would do a lot more than break your wrist.

You thickly swallow─ Finally stepping out from the trees and heading down the path besides the Sentry stand. You keep walking - It felt like you had gone nowhere at all.. every damned second was taking longer to pass due to your wrist ────

 ** _"────BY THE GODS! WHAT IS THAT? "_**  
You almost jump right out of your skin at the blaring siren that was Papyrus.

Twisting on your heel so fast to face him, it wasn't long before your rump slammed against the ground. Looking up to him with a cowardly expression - You could barely bring yourself to speak..

 _..Not that you had really done much talking through this fic._

His shadow looms over─── But not in the same way that Sans' did. This didn't make sense─ He wasn't supposed to even be here at all! You breached the game at the end of the genocide run - Not at the beginning, and now──

 _"YOU'RE A FUNNY KIND OF MONSTER── YOU EVEN HAVE **SKIN!** "_  
His voice was a melody to your ears at this point - Enough so that tears threatened to bubble at the corners of your eyes. You hold your arm tighter, before all of this at last, became too much for you.

You begin to cry ─ Not a silent sob, or a gentle sniff, but a disgusting howl followed by bubbles of snot, and rivers of water splashing down your cheeks. You were in pain. You were hungry. You were thirsty, and above all ─ His brother had pushed you into a corner of both confusion, and fear.

 _"WOWOWOW ─ HOLD ON FOR A SECOND THERE,"_ Within your wails─ You feel something strong wrap around your frail body. Reddened eyes looking up - you see that familiar, welcoming smile, _"─DON'T FRET, SMALL ONE! WHILE I DO NOT KNOW WHAT KIND OF MONSTER YOU ARE, EXACTLY── THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY!"_

And within that last breath, you hold tight to his scarf as wind shoots by you both─── Looking to the ground and swallowing, you see a gangly pair of skelelegs skittering through the snow. Rushing you across the map───

 ** _"──FOR IT IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS THAT WILL BE HERE TO SAVE YOOOUU!"_**

It felt like a horse driven to bolt─── Feeling like at any second you would be torn out of his arms at forced to roll through the snow where you rightfully belonged. Being thrown through the entire environment of Snowdin, leaping majestically over several assorted calibrations and puzzles - With each gallop Papyrus gave, you squeaked a little further.

It was one thing to watch his energy through a monitor, but experiencing it was a whole 'nother level. By the time you reached his home ── Slumping you down to the couch, your hair was rightfully ruffled into all sorts of ridiculous shapes. Skin left so cold it was practically white ─── Your eyes seem to turn in circles, debating whether it would be right to adorn his home with another throw up session and begin your newly formed friendship with something memorable.

Throwing your hand to your mouth, you swallow it down. No, not yet.

The tall skeleton leans down─── Looking you over with a quizzical eye. Poking you here, there and just about everywhere BUT where you were actually injured, _"───HMM.. YOU ARE AWFULLY QUIET FOR ALL THE HOWLING YOU DID BEFORE..."_ Placing a gloved hand to his chin, you watch as that expression changes to one of pure genius,

 _"AH YES! I'VE GOT IT!"_  
Please for the love of god, let it be a _banda───_

 _"──YOU WERE SO BAFFLED TO WITNESS MY GREAT VALOR IN PERSON - I SHOULD HAVE SUSPECTED IT FROM THE VERY **BEGINNING!** "_ to your dismay, he takes both of your hands in his─ Sparks flying in his eye(sockets). You take a hitched breath from the pain searing in your wrist── Feeling the meat mush and sting in response to his grip,

 ** _"THERE'S NO NEED TO FEAR ANYMORE, STRANGER!_**  
 ** _FROM NOW ON - I PROMISE TO BE YOUR DEAREST FRIEND TILL THE DAY I DIE!"_**

 _He was a little overboard, wasn't he?_  
Your face couldn't help but pale─── The pain was becoming too much. Your hands quivered and teeth soon drew to the clear, amidst the friendly skeleton's passionate ramblings, the most you could deliver was a fractured whine.

..And then, at _last_ ─ He realises what's the matter.

 _"──WHAT'S THIS..?"_ a squint of his eyes, feeling around your broken wrist, _"YOUR BONES DON'T SEEM TO BE IN PROPER ORDER. **WOWIE** \- THAT MUST BE HARD TO WORK WITH ── I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO COOK EVEN MY MUCH-LOVED SPAGHETTI WITH JUST **ONE** HAND."_

And then, you see the light bulb go off in his head ── feeling around your other wrist.

 ** _"WAIT A MINUTE..."_**  
And at last, he lets them go. Flinging his hands to the air─── Striking a mighty pose.

 _"YOUR BONES MUST BE BROKEN!_  
 _IT'S EVEN WORSE THAN WE FIRST THOUGHT ── WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN?"_  
Your skin practically crawls. Truly, this was becoming a trial.

 _"──WORRY NOT, STRANGER! I WILL BE OFF AND WILL BE BACK IN A SHORT NOTICE! PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR BROKEN BONES, DO NOT MOVE AROUND TOO MUCH,"_ eyes soon dart to the rock sitting idly by the counter, watching you.

 _"YOU WILL BE IN SAFE HANDS WITH OUR GUARD ROCK!"_

And with that, just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. At last, you take a breath─ Lying your head back and letting your eyes close. It wasn't considerably warmer than outside, but at least for now - you didn't have any wind nipping at your tail.

All in all, the place you were now was entirely surreal─── An odd concoction of both real-life experience and in-game mechanics. It was odd to be able to touch and feel the environment with your own hands, while at the same time, at the click of a button ─ Being able to open your inventory and see how much HP you had left at your disposal.

Your lips purse─── Words seem to have left you now. You always wondered why Frisk never said anything, but now, being in this place - you were left just as speechless with only your thoughts. The idea of your arm being able to be wrapped up made (at last) the fear in your stomach dissipate. That attack had done enough damage to leave you essentially crippled ── Only 20 HP, you were just as pathetic as Frisk when they first came here.

Looking over the numbers in your head - you had 8HP left.  
A sigh slips from your mouth. Any kind of item would do you well.

And then, with the light sound of a rattling doorknob ─ Your eyes blink open, sitting back up on the couch in hopes Papyrus had gotten enough items to sustain your minimal health. However, that spark of hope in your eye soon diminishes,

As the door swings open, and a familiar sight envelops your eyes,

 _"────y'think I'm just gonna stand by while you go and reset the timelines, kiddo?"_


	3. Chapter 3 - Don't Kill Me

You struggled to breathe from the tight space. Lodged behind the couch── Face flushed with the raw fluster of the moment, you were afraid to even breathe in the presence of the other. You were afraid, and hell - did you barely have any time to hide from death looming just seconds away.

You feel the welting of your wrist grow angrier─── Much to your dismay, you hear the familiar shouting of Papyrus from outside the door. You were so close to feeling okay, and this damned SKELETON was in your way.

 _"SANS! WHILE I APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO ADMIRE OUR PET ROCK,_  
 _I HAVE A DUTY TO MY FRIEND THAT I MUST **UPHOLD!** "_

You shiver from behind the couch── And much to your dismay, only the tiniest jolt of movement gives Sans enough warning to see where you had hid. You yelp in absolute terror as you're picked up by the collar of your shirt - The game was reset. Everything had gone back to normal.

BUT HERE HE WAS,  
Watching you with that exact same _gaze._

 ***You feel your sins crawling on your back.**

"─damn, kid. If I'd known you'd been hiding from me - i wouldn't have gone out of my way to make this any less of a game," his voice was taunting ─ Terrifying in the sense his tone was as gentle as velvet, "───i still don't know what made ya come all this way - or more, when you were the only one standing over me when that killer hit the floor. really doesn't make any sense, right?"

He dangles you like a ragdoll.  
"but I ain't stupid - you got something to do with _'em_ , right?"

And it's then ─── that grin comes close. Just outside your ear - His voice drags over your skin.

 **"───somethin' B A D . . . "**

You bite your tongue ── This was it. This was going to be the end of you - he'd ripped your wrist away from you, and now he was going to follow suit with your life. You could feel the familiar sensation of tears swelling to your eyes── Lips finally parting to speak out,

But no voice comes. You were too afraid to speak───  
They move. They mouth what you wanted so beg so badly.

 **(PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.)**

And his grip on your collar tightens ─── Bone etching into a grin ever-tighter, this wasn't the same one from the pacifist run. No, this one was the face of someone who'd do anything to stop any threat ─── And without you even explicitly saying it, you knew he had concluded on what to do from the very first genocide run you'd completed.

Almost shivering, your hands could do little but crawl against his own,

You'd reset over, and over, and over again - and he always remembered you. He went through the experience of seeing everyone reach the surface, with freedom in their eyes only to have you turn on someone who initially believed in you. Again, and again ─── He would stand against you, this creature who set fear in your heart, reminding you of every mistake you'd ever made in this game.

It's only now, that you want to say sorry────  
───And even then, it was only because of HIM.

Tears drip from the rounded curve of your chin - Sniffling once again. He didn't budge. You knew he wouldn't───  
He's figured it out. He knows exactly who you are, and you were going to pay.

You see the threatening flare of teal in his eye─── A deadly aura surrounding his hands. Your eyes squeeze shut, bracing yourself for the final brunt of your crimes.

 _"see ya, kid."_  
And for a small moment, the air around you grows tight─── A chill begins to form in your stomach unlike any other. It was gentle, it was calming -

But as time seemed to slow down, you knew he was killing you from the inside.

 **8 HP.**

 **7 HP.**

 **6HP.**

 **5HP.**

 **4HP.**

 **3HP───**

 ** _"───SANS!"_** _Oh, thank god.  
_ His concentration was broken at the blaring trumpet of Papyrus' voice. Slapping a hand to his brother's shoulder - he didn't realise what was going on at all. You could feel the skeleton's grip loosen - Intent on killing all but fading at the sound of his brother's voice,

 _"GOOD THINKING, BROTHER! I'VE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER ITEMS FOR THE STRANGER - BUT THEY ARE MUCH TOO **SMALL** TO TREAT!"_ With a grin contrasting so brilliantly against Sans' own, he stretches out the bandage, _"─PLEASE KEEP THEM SUSPENDED. I WILL TRY MY BEST NOT TO MAKE IT HURT MY NEWEST FRIEND!"_

It was subtle, but you could see a quick front being put up on Sans' face.  
Eyes filled with predatory fire is quickly replaced with a gentle kindle of love,

"'course, bro. make sure to get the positioning right -  
if not, y'might hurt the kid even more - and nobody wants _that──_ " within that instant─ You're twisted around- wrist snapped away from his hand, being forced straight. You bite the pain─── _This guy didn't fuck around, did he?_

A go-lucky wink of his eye socket,

 _"──right?"_  
Snarky little **shit.**

 _"OF COURSE, SANS! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP ────"_ The taller skeleton leans over, taking a curious look over every nook and cranny your aching wrist had to offer. You could feel Sans' fingers kneeding to your wrist - And truth be told, it took everything you had to not cringe further. The pain was unbearable ─── And hell, you knew he was BATHING in that fact.

You mentally note to kick him in the shins later─ Even if it'll get the skin torn off your body, you wanted to see him cringe just the same; see how he likes it then.

You're about to cringe further, when finally── The feeling of gauze slowly drapes over your skin. It worked differently here to back in the outside world; no need for support, or casts - but the healing properties relied on the action alone of items. You could feel your HP restoring ── And hell, while it still ached,

It was nothing compared to before.

You let out a sigh- opening your mouth to thank Papyrus when alas, another opportunity to speak was cut off. Your rump hits the floor with a drop from the shorter skeleton─ Chuckling away, he stuffs his hands to his pockets, "oops."

 _" **SANS!** YOU HAVE TO BE **CAREFUL!** "_ almost immediately, you were scooped back up again. This was becoming quite the routine - wasn't it?  
 _"THIS MONSTER IS VERY FRAGILE, THEIR BONES MAY BREAK AGAIN IF YOU DROP THEM WILLY-NILLY,"_ you feel Papyrus' hands affectionately pat your head ─ For a friend, you were beginning to feel awfully a lot like their guard rock.

"ah - sorry 'bout that, bro. i'll be more careful next time - promise."  
A shrug of his shoulders- stuffing his hands messily back into his hoodie pockets. Truth be told, he had better business to do than to watch over a human─── When there still remained one very big mistake in the current timeline.

He snaps his finger twice, "ey, pap - ya wouldn't mind givin' 'em over to me for a bit, don't you?" You could practically feel the blood drain from your face ── Nestling your hands tighter to Papyrus' scarf.

No. You'd just managed to heal and now he's going to try and have another round───  
"-'just wanna talk to 'em for a little bit."

A blink of the taller skeleton's eyes looking down── For the first time between, he didn't seem to be crazily shouting, _"YOU'VE MET MY BROTHER BEFORE, STRANGER?"_  
You look up to him and smile - ready to give an astonishingly believable **NO,**

However, _once again───_  
"──yeah. me n' your new buddy go way back.  
granted, they weren't the most friendly when we first chatted - but now i'd say we're closer than a bowl o' fries and ketchup," a chuckle, "glad to hear they've been nicer to you though, pap - maybe they grew up a little."

You could feel yourself inwardly fuming ─── Being spoken about in such a way while you were right there, it didn't take much of Sans' banter to have you shooting daggers. He barely reacts, of course ─── Shooting you that nasty grin of his own.

 _"OH, WELL IN THAT CASE ─ YES YOU MAY SPEAK WITH THEM,"_ despite his only recent scolding of Sans' rough touch - You are quickly thrown to the air, landing back to the floor on your rump once again (truly great), _"I HAVE BUSINESS WITH UNDYNE I MUST TAKE CARE OF REGARDLESS, I HEAR THERE IS ARE RUMOURS OF A HUMAN CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN. WE MUST BE VIGILANT!"_

Towards that sentence, watching Papyrus skitter back out his door─── It seems you and Sans held the same reaction. If you were here, and Frisk was there - who was controlling _them?_

For a moment, it seems you and the skeleton hold mutual feelings as you both mutter,

"oh _shit._ "


	4. Chapter 4 - Back and Forth

"so ya really do know how to talk, huh?"

"───That's what I've been trying to do all this time, but you all kept interrupting me.  
I would have talked ages ago if - and hell, it didn't help that you went and───

OH - I don't know - _didn't_ break my wrist?"

"-wasn't my fault. you appeared very threatening, y'know."

"─To someone who ripped apart the person I controlled? Shit, you give yourself a lot of credit."

"glad y'noticed."

"So how long did it take for you to figure it out?"

"well, something had to be up when the timelines reset on their own. only one kid i know has been capable of that, and well -  
you appearing seemed to knock 'em out."

"You didn't think the concept of me coming here was crazy at all?"

"weirder things have happened."

"And you're not mad?"

"that's another story."

"Ah - So you are mad."

"let's move on."

The past hour had been something of a mystery─── Being thrown out to an unforgiving wilderness, only to be adopted by a pair of meticulous skeletons. You had been sure there were stranger instances in your life, but as of this moment - shockingly, none came to mind. Within that hour you had been hunted by a pun-making clown, and saved by the heroic pair of Papyrus and the pet rock. You let out a huff as you slump closer to the wall─── holding to your legs.

"Are you going to interrogate me?"

"what gives you that impression?"

"The fact that you've got that look about you-"

"-this is how i look at everyone."

"Don't joke with me-"

"-but it's so _humerus_."

"-Seeings as you've broken my wrist, are you aiming next for my spirit?"

"it wouldn't be a bad thing."

You find your lip curling─── And to the other's copious amounts of snarkiness, you couldn't help but shoot a rotten look. You hated this - He barely even gave you a matter but to strip every piece of information you had from your being. You were slumped against the wall of a barely-well put together room, with the overwhelming odor of dirty laundry being shoved ruthlessly into your nose - the circumstances weren't getting any better.

 _"──Let's just-"_ you could feel your irritation building, reaching up and fighting the urge to curse until his ears (metaphorically) bled, "─Let's just _decide_ on something, okay? Papyrus mentioned that there was a human climbing up the mountain, and the fact that your brother is even alive has to mean something-"

"-it's because you reset the game."

"─ON ACCIDENT!"

"and because of that, we now have an empty vessel fit to chose any path they take."

"───Which should be fine, right?"  
"-that look about you doesn't say fine."

You take a breath ─── This was confronting. What was worse was you both seemed to know the history of what lead your murderous hand - He'd experienced the genocide route on the exact opposite side, and now, you were both left with minds wandering to the exact same paranoia.

"..Is there a way to tell what Frisk is gonna choose?"

"..."  
You look over, and funnily enough ─ The skeleton that was so keen on talking had suddenly fallen silent. If only for a moment, you see those eyes fail to flicker any light ─── A momentary, so EASILY missed, moment of weakness.

"──guess we gotta wait for toriel."

Suddenly, the momentary anxiety makes sense - You shuffle a little against the wall, eyes darting back to the floor to both of your feet.

"And if Frisk does go through with it?"  
"then i gotta do what i always do, stop 'em before they get what they want."

He seemed so sure, and yet, you didn't. Your brows furrow, and you squirm yet again─── It was hard to consider that a possibility, and even more so, now that you were on the exact same perspective as Sans. You let out a sigh,

"───That won't work."

"why?"

"Because my runs are proof that you aren't made of iron."

"neither is the kid."

"──That's not the point."

"then what is?"

"─Can you just _listen_ to me?"

"i don't see why i _should_ ," whatever fire burning in your stomach was immediately extinguished the moment he said that── There was something about Sans that always unnerved you, and it seemed every time he gave a reaction to your history of the game, you were quickly left feeling cold. You're left silent ──

And look back down to the floor as you hear him get up, walking over to you.

"it's just a matter of playing the game right. whether or not the kid goes through with it - we have t'move on. their attention span is short - and my fights have proved that. you gotta be the right kind of monster to thrive on something like what i deal."

He stuffs his hands into his pockets, closing his eyes.

"they think they're winning a fight - and i bet you felt you were winning in just the exact same way, but lemme tell you this," a finger is raised ─ And it's now, you look up. That charming grin accompassed with a playful wink, "while i can't save, i don't have to. they reset - they grow bored of lookin' at that dusty old screen, and that's,"

He kneels down, looking into your eyes─── Sans was strange. He was lazy, but at the same time, he held determination of his own. It was an odd concoction of plentiful things - but in the end, he may as well have been a human himself.

"that's when you see ol' buddy sans again, isn't it?"

Your brows furrow, and you give him a hard look. He had a point ─── No matter how you look at it, there was an endless amount of Sans', and only one player. Whenever a timeline would die away, it was just a new chance to stop them at the crossroads ─── And more than anything, he seemed to believe in that.

"..But don't you.. want the resetting to end?"  
It may not be possible on every game ─── but at least on this one file, where they were talking face to face?

"───We could have a chance to stop them, and then,"  
"-can't. they'll just reload and come back."

"───I said _we_ ," you look up to him── Your own determination igniting in your voice. You spoke quietly - and during those words, your hands were balled tighter. You didn't move from your spot - still slumped to the wall, and unmoving,

But you spoke up, to the best you could.

"───This will have been their first time alone. Before all that, they had me - Whether they were their own character or not, in the end, every strike down was made by _me,_ " you continue on, "─It was me choosing to kill everyone, and in the end, I was the only one that could kill you. I was the one that awoken Chara - And I was the one who could delete them by going into the files."

And then, that's the realisation───  
Without you, there was nothing stopping Chara.

Before now, you'd complied with your own wishes - Chara had even voiced that _you_ were some kind of twisted monstrosity that had possessed the game, not them. But now that you were gone - who would make Frisk go back to being that pacifist child..?

 _..Nothing, whatever influence you had over them_

 **──was gone.**

Sans lets out a sigh as the air between you cools───  
You were both speaking as if it was a doomsday that was upon you, when Frisk had yet to even enter the ruins.

He flips up his hood,  
"cmon," a conclusive grunt, before opening his door, "let's talk at grillby's."


	5. Chapter 5 - Gaster Blasting

You felt like you were procrastinating──── Left to essentially twiddle your thumbs, by Sans saying for you both to meet at Grillby's, essentially what he meant was for him to meet, and for you to wait. There were elements about the skeleton that were very well-handled and mature,

But with you perched outside the bar, a blue collar strapped to your neck and a chain leading only to the jaws of a Gaster Blaster, something was telling you that you still had much to learn that Sans was a man of contrast.

It was an interesting concept at all that the skeleton had left you without any more injuries since you'd healed─── You knew it was merely walking the dead man's path, and for now - the seconds where you were left breathing seemed to be getting longer, and longer. You knew he was planning something ─ He always did, and you knew that better than anyone.

You wondered how long lazy bones was going to procrastinate on something you knew he was thinking about.

You let out a huff from a wrinkled nose ─── Peering over to the skeletal creature nestled by you, you decide for a moment to break your thought. There was something immediately intimidating seeing it up close; for one, it was huge, and two, you knew exactly what lurked within those toothy jaws.

You had been left to die by that thing so many times, and here you were - tied up like a dog, waiting for his owner to come back out. This was humiliating, and the longer you stayed here─── The more bitter you grew. You saw monsters walk by, looking to you and whispering things to eachother ─ Children holding tighter to their mother's hands, asking why the funny-looking creature was strapped to a living _laser canon_.

"───Mom - they look so weird-"  
 _"-Honey, don't stare - "_

You could feel your patience dwindling. At the raw fear of upsetting the Gaster Blaster, you decide to make the smarter decision and zip your trap shut. However, with the amount of eyes watching growing larger by the second── You could practically feel a vein popping on your forehead.

In truth, it took all the self-control you had not to swear───  
But by Hell, would that stop you from punting a rock in all your fury.

 _(And delivering the occasional colourful word to the wind - In the end, who could stop you?)_

Sweet release came at a price.

As a glowing eye now stares you down from the corner of your vision─── Huffing, and puffing, you begin to sweat as... well...  
...It's not quite your sins, but there is SOMETHING crawling on your back.

Slathering drool running down from shoulder to spine─── Twisting your head slowly around with horror in your eyes, you are undoubtedly met with the eyes of death. Hairs prickling to your skin─── It doesn't take much for you to buckle and cower, but alas, you're met with something _much_ more agonising in turn.

Regardless of purer intentions, it's with a yank of the magical lead and a strangled yelp from your throat that you're sent flying─── The Gaster Blaster rocketing forward, it's now charging ruthlessly after the rock you'd only thrown moments ago (now unfortunately going on a wild trajectory). Being dragged along the snow, trying with all your might to free yourself - It seems Sans' magic was unbreakable and you held no choice but to be yanked, and dragged along all of Snowdin.

The snout of the Gaster Blaster being thrust through the frost─── Running over that bouncing stone, in a poor attempt to give yourself room for air, you shove your fingers through the collar as your face fights turning blue. This was Hell ─ This was pain, and you were going through way too many levels of purgatory today. Being dragged over the forest, through the cold ─ Over the bridge, was this stone _possessed? Why wouldn't it_ _ **stop?**_

And it's with a screeching halt, that the stone is suddenly knocked down to the abyss. Over the jagged edge of Snowdin - You're finally met with peace (and air, at last). Lying down, panting up at the sky, as the Gaster Blaster digs its nose curiously to the snow, you drag yourself slowly up.

Looking back to the vicious grooves in the frost, the Blaster had taken you on quite the journey── And now you stood at the foot of the Ruins. The stone hobbles to the edge, and the Blaster watches it trail down to the darkness ─── You take the moment's peace as a chance to lean down, and catch your staggering breath.

Throwing your fingers against your clothes ─ You look up to a metal door. The silence haunts you - only moments ago, you were here with the same murderous monster biting against your tail, and now - you find yourself instinctively looking over your shoulder.

Would it be within your right to blame the Blaster for bringing you back out of sight?  
Something tells you that it'll deal you the same bratty behaviour as before, or perhaps - something even worse. You feel the coldness nip at your heels, and perhaps it was within your nature to run────

You knew why he was giving you the gentle treatment. Even if he didn't agree to be friendly by all means ─── You were smart. What would Papyrus say? As much as Sans acted as if the timelines were easily fixed, you knew there was some element of sensitivity to it all. There was something still within him that told him to be gentle to his brother's wishes - if he couldn't kill you yet, he would wait, and he would comply.

"..."  
Your heel backs up to the edge of the ruins, as you take a breath. There was a reason they gave you items to heal, but no weapons to harm - there was a reason they kept you within their circle, but not so close to hear what they wanted.

And something creaks along your lips, an anxious expression and teeth awkwardly tinting against the light─── The Blaster looks to you, and out of sudden recognition of where it's left you, you're being tugged back. You hold your place, because well - you were afraid. You were within safe hands of the person who wanted to destroy you, and by all means ─── _Would._

You hold to the handle of the ruins as its eyes ignite, tugging you harder.

 _Would it be better to kill Frisk before they even begin the run?_ Sweat drips from the edge of your chin as you give it your all to tug back. It would be easier for them ── To those people that wanted you dead. It was stupid - and frankly, your mind was running in circles. Frisk was at a low level here, and Sans had left you with a Gaster Blaster─── You should theoretically be able to kill them if you took the opportunity, and went with it.

You weren't exactly morally correct ─ Neither was Sans, really, as much as he pretended.

You swallow, holding to the lead dragging by your neck─── Wrapping a hand shakily to the binding, you give it a tug, and expectantly, the Gaster Blaster tugs back. It was loyal to one, and no doubt - if you stepped too far, it wouldn't hesitate to kill you.

So, you hatch a crazy plan - You needed to anger it, and you needed to get it to fire at Frisk. Like Sans, it only did 1 hp of damage, but Frisk would be a low level by this point. If you got it into a frenzy, and worked a little dance around your leash ──── You may be able to destroy the threat you knew was inevitably coming.

Digging the toes of your shoe to the snow,  
It seemed easy enough - right? You'd killed that damned skeleton enough to make a statement on how you went against what was smarter to do. You pump yourself up, bouncing on heel to toe── Before with a sharp skid of your shoe, the snow goes flying, and just like you'd wanted ── The Blaster screeches as the frost is thrust right into its eyes.

 _Yeah,_  
 _That was it._

"───C'mon you fucked-up **_gun_** ," you try your best to smile as you danced with death── Running forward, throwing more snow into its sniffer. It snorts and shakes its head ─ watching you smile, and laugh, "gimme somethin' to play with!"

It thrusts its head to the side── Aiming to knock your side, but you take a breath and leap out of the way. You swallow - this was hard, and you weren't athletic, but you tried your best (that's what it meant to be determined, right?)  
Running past the Blaster, you give it your own little knock to suit.

A small mark forms to its cheekbone, and you slowly start to see something vicious burning to its eye. You continue to smile, backing up - gaining distance. The lead's reaching its limit, and soon, you can't move much further back. You were terrified ─── And seeing that bubbling mess start to illuminate its jaws,

You sweat more, giving a final look to the ruins ─ Before making a break for it,  
and hitting the ground. You feel raw power crackle just a little above you ─ You were alive. It missed, and you were alive. You look back up, and low and behold, the Blaster was still pissed as ever. Electricity kissed the back of your neck, and it's with a hand patting down the back of your hair ── You let out a breath.

The ruin's doors were completely torn open, light leaking into the dormain where Toriel resided.  
Trying to regain your breath from the previous breath,

You see a familiar sight of energy twisting inside the beast's jaws ─── and you prepare to start running. It was going to be easy (and by that, extremely difficult to manipulate and simultaneously keep your life) ──── You just needed to run, and dart when needed. The Blaster would follow through, and you would meet Frisk. Toriel may be killed in the process, but for now - that didn't matter to you. If something went wrong with the game, Frisk would give up, and you would reach your ATONEMENT,

You take a step back,  
And then ─ Eyes widening, you see all the energy in its mouth dissipate.

And with a loud thump to the ground─── All life thrust through its being disappears, and it's just a pair of jaws left to the snow below. Your brows furrow, reaching up to your neck. Where was the collar? Where was the chain?

And then, looking between the trees ── you see a smiling face. Watching.  
Sans appears as quickly as he disappeared - but for what reason?

And then with the gentle sound of approaching footsteps, blood dripping from a toy knife in a small child's hands. You feel the warmth from your face leave - No items. No weapons. And now, looking to the truly passive face of someone you'd controlled for so long,

You couldn't stop the terrified stutter dribble from your lips,

 _"..H..Hey there.."_

 **You're left to fight the devil alone.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Time to Dance

_This was bad._

Staring down the knife of your opponent─── You couldn't help but curse the fact that the one guy who wanted you dead just made it a lot easier. Your one weapon had just died on you, and you were left frightfully backing up, feeling your heal knock along the dead bone.

You grit your teeth. Frisk seemed terrifying in their own sense─── You fidgetted. You sweated. You shook and you moved, they just stood there - watching you from underneath a messy fringe and squinted eyes. You felt the bite of the cold sink its teeth into your skin - and as they finally seem to budge, you prepare yourself.

They wouldn't have any idea of who you are──── You could barely even guess if they remembered the resetting of the timelines like Sans did. Right now, they were a vessel to murderous intent - and it was you who was paying the dirty price for nurturing that side of them.

You step over the lifeless Blaster─── Back, back, back as they crept forward, forward, forward.  
They were silent, but their gaze spoke so much.

You thickly swallow── Opening your mouth to say something, but them charging forward quickly leaves you yelping and hitting the ground. They tower over you with that plastic knife─── The wind sweeping up their hair, and

 **staring**

 **you**

 **DOWN...**

They hold up their knife again─── Positioning the point right for your head. As the snow hugged your body, you could do little but shiver - you were tired, and today certainly hadn't done praise for your body. Your energy levels were suffering, and now you were met with this─── It was time to once again let your adrenaline guide your actions, and as the knife is shunted down, the best you could hope for was to scream as you roll out of the way.

It comes down again and again, the same as one would see a bug in an attempt to kill it─── They swoop again, and again, and you miss by the length of your hair. You couldn't stop yelping like a frightened animal - throat running raw as you rolled, dodged , and pushed against the snow. Frisk towers over you again, and it's in your fear─── You throw a foot to their chest, scramble up and RUN.

 _They come after you. They had to. They wanted you dead. They needed that EXP._  
 _They couldn't kill you. You wouldn't let them. You had to get away. You had to get Sans._

You run as far as your legs would take you─── But they were faster. Your back couldn't help but bend as you feel the swipe of the knife cut along the material of your shirt and your face is slammed against a tree. You look back── You see them. They see you. They're going to kill you.

You screech again as they swipe for your stomach── They cut through a tree. It was their determination, and with only the plastic of the toy knife, the tree comes toppling down. You run further─── Through the forest, they keep swiping for you. Your back soon meets the edge of a mountain.

You were tired. You were panting.  
They hold up the knife to you─── Pointing it at you from but a few feet away. They seek you out - footsteps crunching to the snow. Trees had fallen from them, it had slapped against the ground and sent the snow shaking. Your legs threatened to give ─── And hell, your muscles were on fire.

As they walk forward, the point of the knife getting closer and closer─── You squish yourself against the side of the mountain. Breathing, panting── Choking on air that was sooner or later going to abandon you.

Frisk is infront of you. The point of their knife presses against your jugular─── You felt the knife move with every thump your blood gave; every pulse your heart gave. You squeeze your eyes shut─ Preparing for death to come, and Frisk to seek out the life of everyone that was left. You hated this─ What would even happen when you would die?

You weren't a character in this game─── Even when they reset, you won't come back.

A bead of sweat dripping to their blade─ They were waiting.  
However, with the knife twisting against your skin, blood trickling down the skin of your neck──

Your eyes open as their knife is thrust away, and you hear footsteps skittering away. They were running ── They were fleeing. Why were they fleeing?

You look up the mountain, but before that, you FEEL it. In the Earth, in the snow── The vibrations surging through your body, and the snow beginning to move. Down the mountain── You see it. A tree up top had fallen── And mixed with the trees Frisk had ripped apart, eventually, it was time the snow began to give.

You felt every sense of warmth leave you── It was coming, and once again, you had to act on your adrenaline. You run to the side. Away from it. You find a tree - wrapping your arms to it, you anchor yourself as the onslaught comes without mercy.

You hold as tight as you can─ But you feel your leg get caught up. You'd run as far as you could─── And luckily, you'd missed most of it, but as the snow came down, you feel a wet SNAP ring through your ears, and something much worse come.

The snow runs red, and your nails dig into the bark──  
You look up to the mountain, panting from between clenched teeth. It had taken its sweet-ass time to finish, and for now, Frisk had been driven away. Whether they were trapped underneath, or have gone somewhere for cover,

Bark hits the ground as you drag your nails down─── Trying to do anything to get rid of the pain. You see a familiar face to the beginning of the mountain─ Had he seen you? He was walking away. Fuck ─ _NO_ ─ Why didn't he **_SEE YOU?!_**

Hands to his pockets, walking away from a tree that had been uprooted at the crown of the mountain ─── You watch with wide eyes, pain SCREAMING at your side as blood dribbles from the skin of your leg.

 _That son of a_ _ **bitch.**_


	7. Chapter 7 - Apologies

You were beginning to get well-adjusted to the sensation of pain─── Regardless of how your HP was suffering, you were beginning to realise the mechanics of the game. Whilst you were always the player, having to rely on items and be used to getting hit at regular intervals─ Feeling it for yourself was something entirely different.

It had been a while since the avalanche── You were unaware as to where Frisk had gone, and it was barely surprising that since you'd last seen him, Sans was yet to appear. You felt something bitter rest in your throat at thinking about him - Truly, you were a criminal in these lands, and the more time you spent with him, the more you began to realise that in the end, you wouldn't survive.

You hack up your spit, dragging yourself along the ground.  
You try not to think about the injury──── About what ultimately, _he_ had come to inflict.

As your nails are embedded with snow and dirt, face no longer feeling any kind of warmth── You wondered if he thought you were dead. Did he even know you were there with Frisk? He had to - He knew just like you that Frisk wouldn't just go after a noise they heard. They would need something living, something that could give them the EXP they needed.

You wheeze against the ground ─ Eyes vacant. Staring out.

You hadn't even reached the bridge, and already - you were feeling yourself start to lose consciousness. Your breathing was slowing, the heat of your lungs fogging against the ground─── The blood slicked wet against the snow behind you, your eyes fight rolling to the back of your head.

 _You were dying._

Something drags against the bone exposed───Against the raw thigh of your leg, where your broken femur had been poking out of your skin. You didn't feel it. The snow had destroyed your capability to feel ANYTHING on your leg ─── Fingers crawling up skin turning blue,

You wondered if they were maggots.

You couldn't talk ── Your jaws hanging limply open and doing whatever you could to keep breathing. You had to keep breathing ─ If you stopped thinking about anything but, then you would black out, and..

 _..It would all be over._

Your brows arch to your temple─ Skin wrinkling as you find it harder to breathe. It had twisted all the way off ─── You weren't even sure if you had your kneecap on it anymore. It felt so raw; the wind cutting against torn flesh, and leaving you panting harder. It was numb now. The frost and snow had scraped against it for too long.

The fingers continue to jab against it, but your head can hardly lift itself. You're turned over onto your back─── The sun's so bright it leaves your eyes squeezing. Tears are draped down your cheeks, and slowly - You feel something lift you.

You let out a fractured whine,  
The blood hitting the ground with a wet _slop_.

They say something to you, but you're already blacking out.

The first thing you feel is porcelain. Now, that probably seems like a funny thing to describe─── But the weight of it rested against your bare belly is funnily enough what wakes you. It was cold... Not as cold as the snow - but within seconds, it sends shivers up your spine.

Something smelled funny─── Like something you wanted to eat, but your stomach being the smarter of you, and your head. It sounded wet - something being driven into it, and slicking against the porcelain. It sounded so strange... like organs - or raw, stringy meat.

You finally decide to wake ─ Sleep had felt so nice.  
Lashes flicking against your cheek── Of course, your first thought is to check what's wobbling on your tummy. A blink of your lids and of course,

It was a plate of spaghetti.

 _"─────MY FRIEND!  
YOU HAVE AWOKEN!"_ and like an alarm ringing in your ear─── Your eyes shut tight, taking in a clenched breath before coming face-to-face with Papyrus, sitting happily by your bedside. _Where were you?_ Back on the couch again, however, this time you were accompanied with a blanket.

You try your best to break a smile, "..Hey there - It's.. it's nice to see you."  
Electricity jolting up the skeleton's spine, he places his mitts quickly together─── Leaning forward to practically smash his skull against your own - to say the least, he was excited.

 _"───MY WORD - YOU SPEAK!  
MY FRIEND KNOWS HOW TO SPEAK!"_ One exclamation after the other, _"WOWIE! AND WHAT A MARVELOUS VOICE - NOW THAT I KNOW YOU CAN TALK, I CANNOT WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR COMMENTARY ON MY MARVELOUS SPAGHETTI."_

You feel yourself smile through your groggy pain─── Running a hand slowly up, you brush the hair from your sweat-ridden face, looking down to the bowl of spaghetti he'd clearly made for you. He really was sweet, wasn't he? You'd barely met him, and he already wanted to give you his all in his own, little way.

You knew it would taste terrible── But regardless, you twirl the fork left within the center of the bowl. Raising the (crusty) noodles from the bowl, you do your best to sit up - Raising it to your lips,

"..Thanks for helping me, Papyrus."

And tearing your teeth to the leathery strings, it's with the other's next words that you're almost sent shooting the noodles right out of your nose───  
 _"────OH - YOU NEEDN'T THANK ME, STRANGER!_

 _AFTER ALL, IT WAS MY BROTHER WHO HAD PICKED YOU UP - HE EVEN TOLD ME TO MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A SWIMMING RECOVERY!"_

Your jaws run slack, the taste of rust-flavoured meatballs left to linger in your tongue. Wide eyes stare open─── Almost with a fearful look to your face, you look to the taller skeleton. As per protocol, he didn't quite understand the expression, but rather, he gives your hair a quick rub before standing up.

 _"IT'S QUITE UNLIKE HIM TO DO ANYTHING BUT LAZE ABOUT - THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING THAT TOLD HIM WHERE YOU WERE,"_ there was happiness written to his cheeks - seeming to glisten like the sun, _"IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO SEE HIM WORKING HARDER, STRANGER."_

Your lips purse, and slowly─── You put the fork down as you swallow the spaghetti.  
"..."

He was so sweet. It was almost tragic to think about the fact that you'd murdered someone who not once, stopped believing in you. Whilst he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, there was not a single unkind bone to his body──── He was adoring of Sans, and you knew that now, more than anything.

Your lips quiver, twirling the fork again───  
Sniffling away as teardrops make a small puddle in the spaghetti.

 _You'd torn them apart many times, didn't you?_

Papyrus didn't even remember any of it─── but Sans did. Papyrus was such a ray of sunshine to you, and this was just after knowing him for only a day. Sans had known him for his entire lifetime, and the longer you knew both him, and Papyrus - the more it made sense of how broken he became time, and time again when you tore that piece of _sunshine_ away from him.

Brows knit together, stuffing more of the pasta to your craw────  
Papyrus notices you crying.

And lifting your full cheeks to face him, your eyes widen as a menu makes itself clear to you.

 **[❤FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]**

 _"────STRANGER - IS THE SPAGHETTI MAKING YOU SAD?"_  
Tears streaming harder, you felt yourself shaking as you shook your head slowly.

 **[FIGHT] [❤ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]**

"T-THEN TELL ME - I PROMISE TO AID YOU THE BEST I CAN! YOU HAVE MY WORD!"  
You believed him. You knew he would - You trusted him, and for so long,

 ***Papyrus**

 _He should **never** have trusted you._

❤ * **Check**

 *** Atone**

But swallowing down the spaghetti, you hold his hands─── Burying your cheek to his mits and letting the tears flow. You'd destroyed the life of this happy, loving creature - a creature who even to his killer, would only serve to aid.

 _You wanted to do the same._

* **Check**

❤ *** Atone**

 _And from now on, you would - no matter what._

"You may not remember, Papyrus───" You try your best to speak. Placing the bowl to the side, shifting yourself, and wrapping your arms around his middle ─ You hold him, "but a while ago, I did something so wrong to you. To you, and to your brother."

A while away - Outside their front door, _he_ listens. Grin still encompassing his face── He reaches for his neck where his brother's scarf used to sit every time you destroyed him. He keeps quiet.

You look up to Papyrus, eyes run red with the tears.

 _"────I'm **sorry** for hurting you, Papyrus,"_ and it's then - you give him a smile, " _Let's_... let's start over from the beginning, okay?"

He blinks as he looks down at you─── Brows suddenly knitting, and hands being raised. For a moment, you thought you made him angry. You keep smiling, even if he wouldn't forgive you.

 _"───YOU'RE RIGHT, I DON'T REMEMBER,"_ but then, his expression blossoms to his usual stupor, _"BUT REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST - IT IS UNLIKE ME TO DELIVER YOU ANYTHING BUT MY **ALL!** "_

And wrapping his bony arms to you, he lifts you up.  
Spinning you around, and around, _"SO AS PER PROTOCOL - I WILL GIVE YOU ALL OF MY FORGIVENESS AS WELL, STRANGER!"_


	8. Chapter 8 - Need a leg?

_You felt you could rest easy that night._

Unlike the other time where the smaller brother had bounced in to hook you by the throat─── You were given the opportunity to do little but rest. Papyrus had mentioned to you that Sans was busy that day - Even going so far to exclaim how proud he was that he was taking his sentry duties more seriously.

He'd spent a long time with you──── Making sure you were always well-hydrated, well-fed (even if the only thing the skeleton could provide you with was concerning-looking spaghetti) and bringing you items whenever you could to help your health along the way. It felt strange ─── You'd lost half of your left leg, and funnily enough - you still felt it was there. You were unsure if you'd have to go looking for something to help you walk, or if there was a magical item out there that would help you walk regularly again.

Eyes watching your friend in the darkness, his arms were folded politely as he sat next to you. While he was confident his guard rock could do more than protect you, it was tonight that he was sure to be there to hold your hand.

You find yourself smiling. He'd fallen asleep looking after you.  
You give his mitt a thankful squeeze, letting out a quiet sigh as you adjust yourself a little more comfortably against the couch pillow. Today had been crazy, and what was worse was─ You knew Frisk would be back.

Your brows furrow── Watching Papyrus inhale slowly, and give a the tiniest chatters of _"nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh-nyeh"_ as he snored. He was the first boss outside of the ruins, and now - lying by him, you couldn't help but feel afraid for him. He would seek out the human soon, and Sans would have to follow. It was what the code made them do, and in the end - there was no fighting it for the game characters.

You let out a sigh - holding his mitt tighter.

 _There had to be a way to make it work._

 _"...?"_  
Your attention is drawn to the sound of drills and whirring. Away from here - but feeling strangely intimate. Your eyes blink as your head sits above the cushion. A few hammers - clicks, metal scraping and the occasional "shit." It wasn't coming from inside the house... Maybe outside?

You look back to Papyrus─── lips pursing, before you ever-so-gently let his hand go. He stirs a little, snorting and muttering something unintelligeable, before going back to sleep. Your leg had healed to the point where it no longer bled ─ or even scarred for the matter. The items had completely healed you up ─ But for now, it could do nothing about what you had lost.

This would be a challenge ─── But since you got here, what _wasn't_ a challenge?

Sitting up on the couch, adjusting yourself── You swallow, holding steady to the cushioning below, before rocketing yourself upwards. From the first attempt, you almost fall straight back down── Having one leg to support yourself wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do.

You fight cursing, holding to the support of Papyrus' chair as you use it to hop. Squinting a hard glance every now and again back to the sleeping skeleton, you go from the chair, to the table, to the wall, to the door.

You're left huffing - You really needed to start exercising more often, didn't you?

Regardless, you made it. Opening the door with a gentle rattle - the door lets out a squeak. Imitating the same behaviour as last time, you thank the gods for not waking up the skeleton. You couldn't help but wonder what he dreamed about ──── Probably capturing humans.

You offer him a smile before you go outside, silently promising him that you'd be back.

And hitting the outdoors, a hand kept to the side of Papyrus' house─── You follow the noise. It didn't extend any farther than around the corner, and at the dead of night - you were glad you didn't have to hobble too far.

Soon, you're met face-to-face with a door. A locked one, at that.  
Just around the side of Papyrus' house ─ Was it Sans?

You knew there were secrets to the game, but you were never bothered to explore them. Running your finger over the well-aged marks, you couldn't help but wonder how long this door had been here. A breath out, deciding if it would be better of you to leave him alone───

───The _annoying_ part of you decides that your curiousity was a better cause than whatever he was working on, and with that, you rap your knuckles to the wooden door.

At first, you're not heard over the sound of the whirring─── He didn't seem to move a muscle at the knock. Your lips purse, before you knock again, and this time - you hear the tools come to a stop.

"..who's there?"

Yeah - it was definitely Sans. He sounded tired.

 _"It's me,"_ you timidly respond, letting a pause linger - you go to request about coming in, but soon, he cuts you off, "why aren't y'sleeping?"

"─You were making lots of noise. I just wanted to see what you were doing."

There's silence── And if you strain yourself, you hear him let out a sigh. You hear the shuffling of metal, and scrapping of paper, hands shoved back to pockets, soon, the lock clicks and the knob turns - and you see him, eyes barely keeping themselves open.

"hey."

"Hey there.." You try your best to offer him a smile ─ While trying to secretly take a gander over his shoulder, "─Whatcha makin'?"

"nothin' special," with a quick throw of his hand── Your head is forced to look back down to his own, "hobble your way all over t'here, did you?"

Your smile turns a little crooked, "─To the best of my ability."

There's a twitch in his own, "gotta _hand_ it to ya, kid - I didn't think you'd survive that mess," something about him seemed sheepish─── What was it?  
"Or should I say _leg?_ "

There's a chuckle, before he steps aside, "c'mon. I got somethin' you'd wanna see - pinch 'yer nose, it may get a little _rotten_ in there _._ "

He turns around, and you quirk a brow── Hobbling past the door, you come into what seems to be a clean workstation. Nothing left out of order - Something much more different to Sans' room. It was astonishingly white - Lights illuminating every nook and cranny.

You couldn't help but gawk - that is, until you come to a rather gross sight.

There it was. Your lost leg ─── Slowly defrosting against Sans' counter on what appeared to be graph paper. There were numbers scrawled onto it, along with various amounts of notes and scribbles. You feel your stomach twist - and for a moment, you fight throwing up Papyrus' spaghetti all onto Sans' laboratory.

"───Your puns are _disgusting_ ," you manage to choke out── Your hand twitching over your mouth as you lean against an opposite counter. Luckily there were no bugs on it - the blood had clotted and the skin was barely in working order. Truly, Sans was made of something stronger than your gore tolerance.

"guess you could say that," he practically giggles, before fingers wrap around a drawer── And you hear the shuffling of parts. He brings them out, slapping them all down to the counter just a little further away from the leg ─── Seperate parts, some fired together, some welded - some knitted, and some wired.

"i heard 'yer apology to my brother ─thought it would be better of me to help ya along, rather than to let you suffer after i tried to kill ya," he made it seem so non-chalant ── And something about that quickly made you shiver.

"So I _was_ right," you knew it - Looking off to the side, your voice seems to draw quiet, "─Guess I can't blame you."

"don't get me wrong - you still won't come out of this alive, kid.  
but 'fer now ── consider yourself atoned for. i'll give ya a spankin' new limb - and now, you'll be able to run away from me as easily as before," there was something in his eye that twinkled── It almost made you smile yourself. You couldn't help but wonder when the last time was that he'd... _come here._

"and it ain't finished - heck, i don't think it'll be finished for a while, but i'm on my way.  
guess that means you gotta stay with my brother for a little while longer - _think 'yer up to it?"_

Sans was terrifying. In the sense of someone who was both as hopeless as he was hopeful───  
He could kill you, and today, he almost did alongside Frisk. And if you hadn't come to Papyrus - you doubt he'd even be here. He'd just be sitting in his room ──── Counting out the seconds where he'd have to intervene with Papyrus' battle.

..It made you.. _happy._

For a moment, you're left quiet. Smiling like a love-struck puppy─── Smile as warm as a dawn's sunshine, you could see it little-by-little making the skeleton sweat.

"..gotta _leg_ it to ya - as someone who smiles constantly, that's a little unsettlin'."

And your face lights up── Practically **glowing** as you let out a gentle laugh.

"────Thanks for your help, Sans."  
And eventually - with your goofy laughter, eventually - he too comes to let out a bit of a snort.

 _"'s no problem. just keep making my bro happy and i may even give ya a third arm."_


	9. Chapter 9 - Peacemaking

The past few days had been peaceful─── Since the incident with you and Frisk, you hadn't seen a single sight of them. Perhaps Sans had done the job; perhaps they'd died on the first try, and were left with nowhere to go, and nowhere to save.

Perhaps this was the new paradise that you could help make - being given a leg to stand on, to wander the rest of the Underground, and make peace with the rest of the lives you'd destroyed.

There was a particular sense of hope within the air for the next three days - Perhaps it was the fact you knew Sans was going to offer you a new leg in due time. For now, the best you could hope for was a simple crutch at your side, and Papyrus' shoulder to lean on. It was enough for now - not that you really required much.

There was something beautiful about the game within the moments of silence, the sounds of monsters chattering about - and being able to sit down and talk with those wandering into Grillby's - You knew you still had a long way to go, but with that first step, you felt it was possible. Papyrus had been wonderful to you ─── Even going so far as to read you a bedtime story every night (that mostly consisted of his misadventures alongside Undyne). You didn't deserve him ─ Hell, you didn't even deserve his forgiveness, and here you were - able to smile and feel on top of the world.

Sans had made it clear that it was time to earn your keep if you were to properly help him in stopping Frisk ── nothing that would actually remain tactically advantageous, but more so providing more actions to gain his trust. You called it _'keeping the peace.'_

Most of the work had to be voluntary by nature; you knew you weren't going to get anywhere with Sans by doing things he'd ask. No, he was more complicated than that ─── He wanted to see you set things right on your own... by your own determination.

And trudging along the snow with your crutch and leg ─ Wrapping a fluffy jacket tighter to your body as the winds pick up, just like last time, you were chained to a Gaster Blaster. However this time, it followed you near-behind ──── A silent promise that you wouldn't run away, but also a promise that you wouldn't be left alone.

Your chilled breath beats against the scarf around your neck - It was colder today in Snowdin, you could even see the frost beginning to layer against the Blaster's skull. You give it a small smile, rubbing your fingers together to beckon it closer ─ You were just ahead of the sentry. You'd seen the difference along the landscape over the past few days - Seeing that the puzzles were still in working order, clean as a whistle and just as fun as the last time... It was sad that Papyrus wasn't going to be able to play with Frisk.

As you dust the snow off the Blaster's head─── You let out a sigh,  
"──Maybe we should play with him when this is all over, boy."

A small smile as those large eyes look up to you, "We'll throw a party for him, and congratulate him on being so diligent in his human hunting. It'll be fun, don't you think?"

The Blaster lets out a glitchy warble─── It seemed he agreed.

There's a reassuring pat to the top of his head, before you turn around─── The snow was falling faster, and the wind was picking up. You probably would have to head back to Papyrus' home soon - But you made sure to at least squeeze in one check for Frisk before the snow became too harsh. Even if they were alive, there wouldn't be anything keeping them in the open in this weather.

There's a parting smile to the lands, before adjusting your crutch, and beginning to walk home. This was nice - Snowdin was slowly (and ironically) warming your heart something fierce.

Wobbling indoors, you expected to see Papyrus in the kitchen like he always was─── Proclaiming how the stove was always out to set fire to his house, it came as a shock that not even the lights were turned on.

You look back to the Blaster, furrowing your brows before flicking on the switch───  
The lights didn't turn on. Weird.

Hobbling up to one of the globes, you look up to take a closer gander - The lights were broken. Completely shattered. The floors were clean, though - Papyrus must have cleaned it up, you were sure.

A sigh as you hear the winds howl behind─── Turning around, you thought you could do Sans a favour and look for him. You knew Sans would be busy on his sentry duties - So for now, Papyrus was totally within your responsibility.

First, you ask the lovely lady by the store. Even if she didn't give you much information - You bought a Cinnabun.

Next came inquiring at Grillby's ──── You should have known, he didn't know anything either.  
The library ─ _No._

The monsters roaming the street ─── ** _No._**

You hobble faster, before finding a small lizard in a cute, orange sweater.  
And it's as it tells you that they saw Papyrus chattering alongside a funny-looking monster,

You find your stomach knotting tight.

 _Should you run after Sans?_  
 _Do you try and save Papyrus with nothing but your crutch to keep the devil at bay?_

You feel yourself sweating── Heart hammering against your chest with an unruly rhythm. You'd only just apologised to him - You'd only just made things right! Now you were going to lose him, and the genocide route would continue on. You felt your breath cling against your throat - Shivering. Afraid.

Holding to the padding of your crutch───  
It's with you fighting your own tears, you run as fast as you could through the snow.

 _" ────PAPYRUS!"_  
You'd reached the end of the line, a thrust of Frisk's knife through his ribcage with a wobbly streak. The murderer turns, eyes staring you down as quickly, his body collapses against the snow. You heave - You fight everything your body was telling you to do.

Your arm hurt from launching yourself across the snow─── Standing just a little far away, Frisk seems to grab harder at their knife, never ceasing from looking into your eyes. Papyrus' mitt presses against the savage rip across his ribcage ─── Struggling to even speak.

They turn to face you with remembrance in their eyes─── Yes, the one that got away. There was something familiar about them that played at their heart strings, were you both once friends? Destined to be forever intertwined, destroying one world after the next, holding nothing in your arms but eachother...

They raise their life,

 _For you abandoned them, **didn't you?**_  
They were without entity in their heart ─── A mindless vessel wandering with no sense of purpose. They guided themselves on what you had taught them, and now, facing the person who they had run through hell with again, and again,

 _Stopping them from doing what they thought they were meant to **do────**_

Frisk cried too.

 _"B-BUT..."_ You both turn, as Papyrus clutches at the withering soul within his chest. A hoarse breath from his throat - Looking to you both with that hopeful smile, _"──THIS IS NOT.. HOW THINGS ARE MEANT TO BE FOR US._

 _YOU KNOW.. WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, **Y-YES?** "_

Your eyes arch─── He was so hurt. He was fighting the inevitable result of Frisk's wrath.  
You had to help him. You had to _get───_

Before you even held the opportunity to get between them - Frisk raises their knife with a fierce look in their eyes. Silence looms over the two ─── Controller, and their abandoned puppet. Frisk says nothing, but you know that this was their fight ─

But... this was your fight too - to make things _RIGHT_ ───  
 _"──WHILE.. I DO NOT BLAME YOU FOR HURTING **M-** ME.."_ He drags himself -  
As desperate to get between you both as yourself.

He says with all his heart,

 _"PLEASE, DO NOT HURT.. MY **FRIEND.** "_


	10. Chapter 10 - Left Struggling

_You ran._

You'd decided to cut your losses and get out of there─── Not for the sake of your own life, but for the small chance of saving his. Frisk was faster than you by a long way - and the more you frantically hobbled, you didn't know how long you would be able to fend them off.

You'd gotten them out of Snowdin - Screaming at them to follow you and to leave him alone. You knew if you failed here, they would seek him out once again and you would be back so square one. Your heart lurched in your chest - breath running frantic as they followed you out of the town.

It was only when you reached the familiar sight of the bridge─── Turning to face them, and swallowing the lurching breath hiccupping in your lungs, heel pressed against the wood and the crutch wobbling under your arm,

 _You didn't know what to do._

The Blaster watched Frisk, but ultimately - you could not command it to attack. Only Sans could guide them, and more than anything - they were just a breathing surveillance camera. Sans wasn't paying attention to the circumstance - what was he doing?

He wasn't here. He wasn't at the sentry. The Gaster did little but watch as Frisk advanced, and you were quickly left alone.

Holding tighter to your crutch─── As they throw the first strike, you bite the bullet and throw it up. The wood cracks against their plastic blade, and you're thrown a little bit back. You felt the sweat gather under your brow, but for now - it was you against them. You controlled them. You made them this way──

You use the crutch as a weapon, steadying yourself on your leg, you thrust it against their head with an unforgiving SMACK! You hear them take HP damage, and for now - you're letting your own determination guide you; the determination that had killed so many, and now, was going to save everyone.

You weren't going to let them destroy anything ─── Not without you.  
You were the conductor of this game, and ultimately, it would be by your hand that control would be regained. Not by Frisk's, not by Sans' - By yours. You stand over them, shadow breathing down their neck. You were breathing heavy─── You were going to end this.

 _You had to, no matter how strong they became-_

 _("PLEASE, DO NOT HURT.. MY FRIEND.")_

 _ **This was your atonement.**_

"────Leave us _alone,_ "  
You throw your crutch again, and again─── Hitting them once, twice - on their cheek, shoulder, arm, stomach, back. They recover- they throw swipes at you which you dodge the best you could. You swing the crutch under their legs, and soon, their rump hits the snow below. You bear your teeth - It was now, that you would take control from them as the PLAYER of this game, "This isn't meant to _be_ like this - I'm not _telling you_ to kill anyone," with a hiss of your breath, you press the tip against their throat. You were larger than them - by no extension stronger, but pressing your foot against their hand, you snarl like the wolf you were.

You weren't a hero. If anything - your corrupt nature was still a downfall in any circumstance. Even when saving someone, you felt it in your heart to drag this monster for the filth they became. You would make them fear you - you would make CHARA fear you. You were the conductor of genocide, and it was now, they would realise that or you would die trying.

"I've turned you into a disgusting thing - and now you act because of _them._  
Chara ──── A demon that has taken your soul for their own," did they hear you?

All they did was with wide eyes, they stared up.

"Leave this place and never come back. I may not be strong ──" You press the tip harder to their jugular, feeling their windpipe slowly constrict. You hear their HP lower - little-by-little, you were hurting them. You feel your voice shake in your own exhaustion - You knew if you let up for even one second, they would rip you apart with no mercy.

So it's with sweat riddling your face, you let it be known for all to hear,  
"─But I **_will_** kill you if you rip these people away from me."

And squeezing your eyes, the tip leaves Frisk's neck── In one foul swoop, you bury it under their frail body, and you send them flying. You hit the ground from the lack of support, but you see them for a faint moment - hovering over the gap that only lead to darkness. The rocky crevice that awaited them down below was only a breath away,

You watch them fall─── And slowly, you drag yourself up, panting with that wild look in your eye. This was who you were - someone desperate to make things right...

 _..But hell if you would forget all the things about you that were so wrong._

Wiping the drool slathered from your teeth─── You let out a tired huff. You were going to have Sans finish your leg, and then that's where it would begin. Frisk would survive that fall - They would suffer, but you KNEW they would return. They always did.

But you'll be ready -  
Brows knitting, you spit blood to the ground.

They'd gotten a few hits - but nothing to last. You lost one of your canines, but it was worth it. For now, what you needed to do was to find Papyrus... You were going to help him. You were going to help him like for so long, he helped you.

You returned to the place where you saw him - He was gone. Trailing your eyes along the snow, you don't see his footprints walking away─── You see a smaller set of prints left to the frost; slippers seeming to hurriedly hobble along the ground, wandering back to Papyrus' house. You thickly swallow, stumbling back to the wooden door.

The Gaster kept near by your side─── You see the chain slowly dissipate as you approach the home. The magic runs to dust at the touch of your fingers, looking up to the creature, before it's with you biting your tongue, you open the door.

"..."  
Your face runs pale at the sight.

"hey buddy - don't worry, everythin's gonna be okay."  
His hand stroked slowly over his brother's─── The smile twitching, and his body unmoving. You watched him stand by a life struggling to hold on - you could see it, the body of a man so kind staggering, shivering and breath drawn as heavy as rock.

 _"Pap.."_  
You couldn't even get out his whole name. You were weak ─── You couldn't say a word, for the minute you made a noise, Sans looked at you. His brother was out cold, fighting for his life even with the aiding of items - What did a monster do when it had no determination to hold on to?

You could see the pain in his eyes.

And without even so much as a blink ─ He was infront of you, hand locked to your throat, slamming you against the wall. He was hurting. He was afraid - You could see it in his eyes as your breath slowly left you. His hands shook - He didn't know what do do.

"you ran away───"  
He didn't sound the same.

" _y'ran away_ when my brother was sitting there in the snow," he sounded so confused.  
"tell me why ──"

He wasn't joking anymore. He wasn't playing ─ He wanted to know. You could feel his voice get louder, and his grip get tighter, "you were meant to help him─ you were mean to help the **both of us.**

you were meant to help us piece this ** _shitfest_ ** back together and you _ran──_ ─"

He picked you up again─── And now, you see something travel down his face. The teal staining his left eye shone, and it's now,

You see Sans cry.

"what the fuck are we meant to do now?  
he's going to die and it's just gonna be _m─_ "

His voice breaks. You're dropped, and his hands cover his face.  
He wallowed. He wallowed in the mistake of leaving you both alone.

"──it's just gonna be me again. _just_ ── _just **me**_."

His hands drop, and truly ─ You see his hurt. In his voice. In his gaze.

 _"you fucking des-destroyed everythin', kid."_

You couldn't even argue.  
You were silent against his cries── Against his hurt.

You look back to Papyrus─

And soon, you too, begin to weep.


	11. Chapter 11 - Mess Ups

You'd decided it would be better to leave him alone. You'd spent the rest of the night away from them─── Not too far away that you couldn't be reached, but left sitting just a little outside of Sans' lab. You'd been like this for hours - sitting in the snow with your bloody crutch rested against the wall.

You hugged yourself── The cold nipping at your skin, and quickly, you were left shivering.

It was the middle of the night, and the temperature wasn't growing any kinder. The town had become a place of silence ──── No monsters. No talking. No lights. Nothing. Whether Frisk had driven them away, or plain slaughtered them all - there was no way of telling. The place no longer held any life, and now, with Papyrus injured ───── There was a sadness here like nothing else.

You sniffed, rubbing your hands together and trying to keep warm ─  
Eventually, you hear a pair of footsteps trudge in the snow, followed by a lazy slump against the wall, just a little further away from you.

"he's dreaming," his voice was blunt, but relieved. Sans stared into space just as deeply as you did ─── You don't look at him. You just nod.

White eyes eventually look over to you with a turn of his head─── Hands stuffed to his pockets, he lets out a breath, "you cold?"

Again, you nodded.

You don't watch him── You just keep looking ahead. You felt the shame - and while you needed to talk to explain what had happened, you couldn't right now. His words were harsh, and you couldn't get the image of him crying out of your head──── Hearing his voice crack in your head over, and over, there was something about seeing him crumble right infront of you that contrasted watching it on a screen so powerfully.

Eventually, you're given something. Stuffed in your face was the fluffy coat he usually adorned over his shoulders, "take it."

It's now, you look over with wide eyes─── Brows arched, before more tears bead at the corners of your lids, you shake your head and whimper. You couldn't talk, and you see his brows furrow as the tears line your cheeks. You shuffle a little bit away, sniffling to yourself - you.. _couldn't_.

Your eyes squeeze tight. Papyrus looked so broken─── He pleaded to keep you safe, didn't he?  
"hey ─" he just wanted you to be okay, and you caused this mess. You should have been closer ─── You should have fought for him, like he fought for you.

You feel something against your arm── A light shake.  
"kid - " your head snaps and you see his own, "you're not thinkin' about how i _snapped at_ -"

It was funny that he seemed so composed, but when things diverged from his plan ─── He often was left stumbling even over his own words. He wasn't equipped for difficult things - Sans just wanted things to be simple... for things to feel simple.

He didn't know how to help someone when they cried.

"it didn't leave a mark, did -" without thinking, he tilts your jaw up to see angry red lines - almost immediately, he tried to make the situation seem better than what it was, "i mean - it's better than your..."

Your brows furrow, and for a moment your lip curls───  
But you say nothing, hugging yourself tighter─ Looking back away to the snow piled by the empty buildings.

 _"kid.."_

You feel something nudge against one of your hands─── felt. Warm, coarse felt─ Your eyes squint back to him, and he pushes his jacket a little harder against your hand, "can ya.. gimme a bit of a hand here - "

"-don't make me feel _bonely_."  
It's then that you shift─── Letting out a huff against the chilled air, you finally talk, "──Won't you get cold?"

You run your fingers over the fur ─ It was soft.. tickling your skin.

You could hear the relief in his voice as you finally began to talk, "nah - skeletons don't have skin. _go on,_ take it," another nudge of the coat, "y'need it."

It's with a purse of your lips, you finally take it── Slinging it over your shoulders and burrying your face into the plush material. It was huge on you - It being a little large on Sans meant that you were practically sinking into it.

But it was warm ─── It was so warm. It felt nice─ It hugged you just like your mother used to.  
You look back over to Sans, just sitting there in his t-shirt against the cold weather - you naturally wanted to feel sorry for him.. but perhaps it was better to take his word.

The first thing you say is pathetic, and in truth─ It leaves his hands squeezing against his knees,  
"───I didn't mean to hurt him."

There's a pause looming over the both of you─── He wanted to say many things, but he knew better. Sans was a man of many secrets, and the longer you knew - it was becoming easily a matter of both what he said, and what he refused to.

Eventually, looking to his slippers, he huffs too, "i know you didn't."

Your eyes widen ─── He.. _He thought.._  
"──You mean.. you know I didn't── That I don't..."

 _"you've been trying hard, haven't you?"_

The question was direct, but in the end ─── Had you really noticed?

"I've just been trying to make things okay."

"you have."

"But what about what I did?"

"i'm still angry about it - and 'yer not exactly above consequence," the skeleton sighs─── Before kneading his fingers to the back of his neck, "but i still value the effort you've been placing in. i'm not going to be a prick about it if you're tryin' t'make things right."

He looks over, "'yer just a kid, after all. it's in 'yer job description to mess up, right?"

And then that grin cocks, "───even if it's a big mess up."

Your brows furrow, and you look down to your feet. He made it sound so easy─── But in the end, he was just an easygoing guy, wasn't he? He wasn't made of cruelty, nor was he made of forgiveness. He was the judge of this world, and judgement was always subject to change.

During your neutral runs, he'd shown you patience───  
And now, he showed you more.

"an' i guess i messed up too," there's a chuckle from the happy skeleton─── giving his stomach a pat as he stretched out, looking up to the sky above, "i shouldn't have done that to ya when you've been tryin' so hard - fair enough?"

There's a pause. You let him continue,

"i'm not the best at keeping my cool - as much as it seems like i am a professional at this.  
when you involve my little bro, things do get unnecessarily complicated.

but that's not an excuse - and sayin' what i said wasn't the best way to go about it, just like what you did wasn't the best way to go about... _whatever_ happened in 'yer little head."

He tilts his head up, giving you a happy wink of his socket, "so how about we say it's even for now? we can go back to tearin' at each other's throats when this is all over - but 'fer now, let's just take care of what's goin' on."

You pause, holding to his jacket as silence takes over you. Lowering your head, you feel your hair kiss against your cheeks - This was a difficult place, but it's when things were peaceful, that you learned to cherish the moments. You didn't have anywhere to save, or anywhere to hide─── All you had were the seconds passing by, and whether they were chaotic, or heavenly.. It was never to be properly decided.

So for now, you let the both of you have this moment's peace. Tilting your head back against the wall, you feel your eyes slowly lull, "How long does it take for Frisk to recover their save?" you ask, voice droning as you grew more tired.

"it varies. sometimes it takes a few seconds - and other times, it can take weeks.  
depends on how brutal the attack was."

You take in a deep inhale, letting your body run lax, "I hope they take a while."

Slowly, you begin to fall asleep, "I want to at least have _two_ legs to kick them with.. _y'know..?_ "

As you drift off, the skeleton lets out a light chuckle. You were so frail── You tried to act tough, but when it came to it, you were pretty damn fragile. You'd fallen asleep right in the middle of the snow── With nothing but a jacket to keep you warm.

"yeah, i know."

But regardless, he smiles. Picking himself up─── He scoops you up, tossing you to his shoulder. With a rattle of his keys as you snore lightly on his shoulder, the door to his lab opens up, and you're placed in a comfy seat across from his workbench.

He'll keep you here for the night - at least then, you won't wake up with a cold.

Quietly, he pulls out tools, and materials ── Hammering away back again.

"sleep tight, kid."


	12. Chapter 12 - Early Morning

You hadn't dreamed that night ── Left to toss and to turn against the chair, throughout the night, all you heard was whirring and quiet muttering. He'd worked through the night for you – and by the time the morning approached, you were awoken by the gentle shaking of your shoulders.

"hey," he calls to you ─ You couldn't help but mumble something unintelligible, turning away – trying to cling onto whatever sleep you could. He shakes you again – a little harder.

 _"c'mon, kid –"_ you were weak, but you wouldn't give up. With a light bat of his hand away from you── You hear him let out a grunt, before finally, you're slumped against the floor, left with a groggy groan escaping your throat, and your head spinning in circles. Sans lets out a sigh at your pathetic sight, teal eye fading as he recomposes. It's with tired eyes, you squint as light bleeds into your vision – It was early. You had six hours sleep at _most._

 _Why'd he have you up so early?_

"c'mon– look at what I made for ya," he was excited, dragging you up to your feet like an excited child─── And before you knew it, you were shifted to face the opposite counter before you even had a chance to straighten out your hair. Eyes still watery from waking, it's as you rub them, you finally see it. Made of bronze, silver and black – littered with bolts with skin made of metal, it's finished.

 _"───This is.."_

Your new leg.

Your eyes finally open, and it's with your shaking hands ─ You pick it up and test its weight.

It was heavy, but only about as heavy as a normal leg would feel. It was empty in the middle and wires ran through── Glowing with a gentle aura of blue within the center, you remembered Mettaton's little quiz so long ago,

 _What were robots made out of?_  
 ** _Metal and magic._**

You were tired, but soon, you find yourself smiling at him─── Speechless, you let out a bubbling laugh – placing it on the ground, and positioning your nub over it. A perfect fit, but alas, there was just _one_ thing missing…

You look over to sans,

"─Howd'you secure it?"

There's a chuckle, and it's with a wave of its hand and a tint of his eye─── You find it latch on its own with a metallic-sounding _hook_. The magic knitted to your skin without the slightest touch of pain, and it's with another laugh – you lift up your thigh and see it follow suit. It was perfect. It was absolutely _perfect._

You couldn't help your laughter as you waved it around. Testing it's strength out, you're soon launching yourself── Slinging your arms to the skeleton's shoulders, your laugh gets louder and you yell to the heavens, _"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"_

There's a chuckle left from him that was almost awkward─ But regardless, with a light pat against your back, you're reminded to keep things appropriate. You part and it's with a cough from your throat, you couldn't help looking back down to your leg. It was so.. so _neat!_ With the occasional squeak from the metal, you bent it over, and over, and over again.

"s'no problem, kiddo – thought you'd start getting sick of havin' nothin' to stand on," but it's with the creaking of the limb, you see a skeletal finger scratch at his chin, "hm."

"─What?"

"─needs lubricant. hold on."  
And shuffling more through his drawers ─ With a light noise thrumming from his throat, eventually he picks up a light bottle and cloth. He gives your joints much-needed attention, and to your surprise, the heavy metal came out as absolutely silent.

"much better."

Your cheeks turn flush with the smile blossoming to your features─── there it was again, showing just how much you came to appreciate just how much he'd extended a hand to help. Sans was terrifying - you knew that better than anyone, but he was also surprisingly considerate. In the end, you knew if he had his way ──── Things would be peaceful. Things would be simple between everyone, and he would spend his days being happily lazy - Not having to think of new ways to survive with each coming day.

You hoped that day would come soon ─ The first way to achieve that would be to stop the resets. You let out a sigh, ruffling your hands through your messed up hair, "─So now that that's done.. what're you gonna do now?" hands to your hips, you look around, "It doesn't take much to see that this place has been awfully neglected. Even the chair that I slept on last night.. I kept inhaling dust with every snore I made, y'know."

He's caught off guard── A light blue dusting over porcelain-coloured cheekbones, you see his eyes quickly become bashful, "well, y'know - things get busy."

"Well how about this," you raise a finger to the air─── A determined grin taking over your face, "─Don't act like you didn't enjoy building something - You had a damn good time, and I think it's time you started that little tinkering hobby back up when things are all better, okay? Make sure it's the first thing you do when I'm dead - Everyone will be happy to see y'gettin' back to your science roo-"

"how d'you know i used to be a scientist?"

"I uh- I saw a let's play."

"..huh," he wasn't following.

"It's where you watch people record themselves playing this game───  
Some people were able to get into here."

There's a blink from the skeleton, before bony fingers rub at his chin, "I've got this place under lock and key.. Certainly an interestin' concept," he murmurs under his breath, before that grin stretches once more with a shrug of his shoulders, "──But I wouldn't put it past the other me's to pull somethin' _crazy_ like that."

Your smile soon follows, taking a step back before turning, "─So what about Papyrus?"

"he was talking in his sleep last night - you're free to see him if you promise to be quiet."

Turning the doorknob, you look over your shoulder, "───You gonna follow?"

There's a chuckle echoing from him── Placing a finger to his grinning teeth, "nah. m'gonna be cleanin' up this place - would be an awful shame if my lab rusted up while i was busy killin' you."

Wow ──── Maybe he really _did_ take what you said on board.  
Regardless, there's a soft hint of laughter from you - opening the door and walking out to the snow of an empty town, you give a light wave of your hand and wish him goodbye, "Make sure you're inside for dinner."

"why - are you offerin'?"

"I might be," and with a close of the door── You smile to yourself. Little by little, things were easing up, and you were grateful for that. It was so much nicer to be able to have breathing space without having the inevitable worry that you were going to be snapped up by a monster most foul. Walking around to the door ahead─── You take a quiet look inside Papyrus' home,

 _"MY FRIEND!"_ a throw up of bony arms to the air from the couch─── You almost find yourself crying again.

He was awake - He was okay.  
 _He was───_

You soon find yourself dumping your weight onto yet another skeleton─── But this time, you land onto his body with a gentle flop. Laughing into his costume - You press your cheek hotly against his chest. He was okay. He was fine─── You'd saved him, you _really_ saved him!

 _"WOWIE - AM I REALLY SO HONOURED AS TO HAVE WON YOUR AFFECTIONS?!"_ even when injured - he still was so sweet, _"WAIT UNTIL I TELL UNDYNE!"_

You look up to your friend with a beaming smile. That's right - Undyne was next, wasn't she? If Frisk couldn't kill Papyrus, they theoretically would go after the next boss and save Papyrus for later. That's what you would do───

You let out a sigh, pressing your cheek against his collarbone in a lazy fashion, "──I thought you were in trouble, buddy. Me and Sans. We thought you were in big trouble."

But then, you perk up, "──But you were really brave, y'know? I couldn't stop thinking about how you were going to protect me, even with as little HP as you had left," you close your eyes, "You really were a hero."

For a moment, there's a pause between you─── Before Papyrus lets out a beaming smile, running his mitt over your messy hair, _"SO I'VE DONE IT ON MY OWN? DID I DEFEAT THEM? HAVE- ARE YOU- I'VE BECOME A HERO?"_

You lift your head under his hand, your chin squishing against his armour.  
"Yeah. You were a really good hero."

And it's then, that you see his brows knit and for a moment, a glimmer of crimson tears twinkle at the corners of his eyes. Of course, he slaps his mitts quickly to his face, _"AH- YOU ARE TOO KIND, MY FRIEND. I AM GLAD TO HAVE BEEN YOUR HERO─── J-JUST FOR THIS **ONE TIME!** "_

And it's with a laugh, that you sit up. Crawling forward, you press the tiniest of kisses against his forehead─── In the end, you were grateful. This would be a time out for the three of you, you thought. Sans had helped you gain back the leg you'd lost─── And this one had fought a scary battle in the name of nothing more than his kind heart. You may not be the best cook─ But for now, you'll make sure tonight will be a good night.. for all of you.

"I'm gonna make us all something to eat tonight─── Is there anything you want?"  
And it's with a look up, the skeleton lets out a light noise of thought.

And were you really surprised when the first thing he exclaimed was,  
 _"───COOKED SPAGHETTI PLEASE, MY FRIEND!"_

'Course not.


	13. Chapter 13 - A True Romantic

It was a pleasant day for you all──── At least for now, you were given room to take a breath and relax. You'd spent most of the day within the home, taking care of Sans' brother - Taking the time to clean over the furniture, and give him his well-deserved company.

You hadn't explained to him what had happened to the rest of Snowdin─── From how he was acting in his fight with Frisk, you doubted he was even aware of why the town suddenly was drawing quiet. You couldn't help but wonder if it was Alphys - Had she evacuated everyone early?

You wondered if you would even be given the opportunity to see her in this run─── Coming to wash the dishes from the dinner you three had shared, you felt your lips begin to purse. You could imagine her fear ──── Having destroyed the lives of so many, and now, coming to a point where her karma was pursuing her.

You scrub a plate harder, determination flooding your veins─────  
You would be sure to protect her too, if it came to it.

Reaching down, letting the sink drain─── You bring up a rag to your forehead. Were you stressing? Maybe a little. You hadn't been here for long, but you were beginning to understand what the standard rules of the Underground were. You would fight for survival, and now - you had to cherish the seconds spent where you weren't thrust balls deep into chaos.

You look to Sans sitting by his brother from the kitchen─── He was perched happily on the wooden bench just a little away from the couch. Papyrus was still on the couch, but you didn't mind - you were beginning to get into a rhythm of finding other places to sleep. It seemed they were enjoying the fact that Papyrus was okay too - Throughout the day, you'd heard your fair share of the younger apologising to his brother for not thinking about leaving him alone.

..You knew Papyrus didn't mean it─── It was in his nature to do what he thought was right. Sans wouldn't have blamed him either, you knew - but even if none of you were angry at Papyrus, he apologised either way. It must have been nice for Sans to be reconciled ─── The poor guy had been through a lot, after all.

You let out a sigh ─ Leaning by the wall, listening to them both talk. For a while, they were just muttering about anything - How he was feeling, what he wanted to do the next day... the occasional joke from Sans making Papyrus almost jump off the couch in rage before feeling like he broke a rib - You couldn't help but laugh to yourself.

Eventually, the two draw quiet ─── Sans rests a book to his knees, and eventually, Papyrus slips once again into a peaceful sleep. He'd been fighting a lot over the last day and a half - You knew when inevitably you all would retreat to waterfall, he would have to do a lot more.

But Papyrus was strong ──── As much as Frisk would make him seem the opposite, Papyrus was incredibly powerful. You knew there would come a time where you and Sans would have to protect him again - and this time, you won't be using cheat methods.

You nap back to reality, eyes focusing back to the shorter skeleton as he rests the book by his side. He doesn't move ─── He didn't really want to. Was he still trying to swallow that they'd just barely escaped a reality where he'd have to see his brother leave?

Maybe if this run kept up─── By the end, Sans would have more than one HP to fall back on.  
(Maybe, he will have more hope to help him pull through the fights).

Eventually, you find yourself giggling── Rag to your hand, you take careful aim. He was concentrating so hard, it almost looked funny. Now, you weren't the smartest kid on the block, and this action was just about to prove it ──── But hell if you could resist seeing his face when you hook him right out of nowhere!

Grin encompassing your face──── You hit the target perfectly! Full score! Now it was time to see that skeleton's head get _knocked..._

 _..straight off his.. shoulders..?_

Your grin quickly fades─── Almost convinced you'd actually hurt him. **_Shit!_** You quickly panic── HE ONLY HAS ONE HP - WHAT IF YOU **_HURT HIM?!_**

You quickly scramble over, falling down and practically _skidding_ against the carpet as you slide up to his head. You watch in terror as the thickly covered body lands against the table with a lifeless SLUMP -

 _Shitshitshit────_ You pick up the head with practically shaking hands, you'd fucked up. You'd REALLY fucked _u-_

"hey there," eye sockets stare right at you─── And consequently, you almost jump straight out of your skin, "don't go losing your _head_ there, kay?"

There's a chuckle coming from the unattached head (but whether it came from his _head_ or his lifeless throat was unbeknownst to you), and for a moment, you seem to simply gawk at him in horror. Was he winking? Why was he still alive? You **had** hurt him─── _Hadn't you?_

 _"───S-Sans..?"  
_ Jesus, you could barely say his name. You felt yourself getting dizzy── Nope. This was it - this was where it ended. You hit the ground behind, legs kicked up to the air and his head left to roll to your side. Truly, your tolerance for the magical was something _questionable ────_

"kid, i can see ya blinkin'."

How long had you been out for? Your eyes flutter open─── And for a moment, you catch the two of you breathtakingly close. For a moment, you couldn't stop your face from exploding into red─ holding together your gawking mouth,

You almost faint again when you go back to realising the situation.

But inevitably what stops you, is by this point─ He was looking pretty _peeved_.

"jokes are over - can ya do me a favour and put my head back on my body before y'faint again?" you thickly swallow, scrambling back to your feet with his head kept in your arms as you try to position his body into a position to snap his head back on. You breathe heavy, and under your arms─── You could feel Sans practically groaning.

You put his head back on his neck─── But inevitably, you put it on _backwards_. There's a grunt from the skeleton, and as your blush still seems to be fighting to keep on your face - You await the comment you knew was coming.

"somethin' tells me you're not the best at handling stressful situations."

"───I'm- _I-I-"_  
"hold on," with a clear of his throat and a hold to his skull─── It's with a CRACK that sends shivers up your spine, that he twists his head into the correct position. He was irritated - Maybe you'd fainted for a while.

"I was just _g-gonna_ ──"  
He holds up a hand, "wait."

In your flustered state, you could barely put together why he kept interrupting you─── Seeing him put up a hand and quietly signal to his room, you understand that here wasn't the best place when Papyrus was already stirring (thank god you didn't scream, huh?)

Slumping by a wall in his room like before, with a stifled breath─── You wipe your hands over your face and ruffle your hair. Dear god that was an adventure ─ sitting his rump to his bed, as he stuffs his hands back into his jacket, you hear Sans give a light chuckle.

"what? never seen a guy without his head before?"

"You're a piece of shit, y'know that?"

A wink, "hey ── if ya didn't want me to pull a trick like that, you shouldn't be throwin' things to begin with."

"It was a joke I───It didn't hurt did it?"

"nah - skeleton's don't have skin, remember? can't tear what don't exist."

"Oh, thank god."  
Your lips purse, and eventually─── You change the subject to something a little better, "─Papyrus is doing better than before. Don't you think?"

"couldn't be happier about it, bein' honest."

"I've been thinking - Usually the run continues to waterfall. I was thinking about it while I was doing the dishes ─── Should we start packing before Frisk has a chance to respawn?"

"i actually brought that up to pap while you were cleanin' - we were thinkin' the same thing," the skeleton lets out a hum - mulling over dates to his mind, "while i'm not meant to be neglectin' my sentry duty here ─── there's not really much to protect anymore.

if pap continues doin' okay - you wouldn't mind another early morning, right?"

"Well───"

"glad you agree."

There's a huff from you, and a slump back from the wall── Folding your arms to your chest, you weren't exactly pouting, but hell if you looked cheerful, "──I wasn't gonna protest, y'know. I was just gonna ask if y'could wake me up is all."

"in the same way i did tonight?"

"Do that, and I'm never talking to you again."

There's another chuckle from the skeleton───Leaning back, lying down and getting comfortable on that plush bed, "man 'yer fun to rile up."

There's a snort from you as you get up, keeping your arms folded, you decide to perch your rump by the foot of the bed. A nice pile of clothes to cushion your back ── At least he was offering a place to sleep.

You shut your eyes, preparing yourself to try and sleep, before you're quickly hooked by the collar and...

 _...Instead of placing you down on his bed, you're put right back to where you were seated before._


	14. Chapter 14 - First Weapon

You could barely remember what it was like to dream. It had taken you a while to fall asleep─── Against that bare wall and dirty floor, your back certainly had better days. You'd fallen asleep to the sound of light snoring coming from the bed - and funnily enough, you'd actually kind of missed the sensation of dreaming.

It was nice to be able to escape somewhere else, if only for a little while.  
But even then, what became of your nightmares?

You thought about her. You thought about her and you couldn't stop──── You'd hidden those thoughts well, you'd thought, but even through the night, you couldn't help the mumbles passing your lips - ushering again, and again,

 _'momma.'_

You'd woken up ─ Eyes wet, and head pounding. You'd woken up with a jolt ─── And it was with you shooting up to sit, you steady your breathing. Certainly, this world was quickly getting a reputation of being merciless ──── Panting and hands slowly closing around material, you seem to blink as you weren't in the same place as before.

It was comfy where you were ─ Plush, and forgiving. Your back didn't feel like it had been run over ─── Nor did your joints feel like they've been savagely ripped off their hinges. You look around - kept in the middle of a generously-sized bed in.. a later time than _daybreak..?_

You blink a few times ─── Still feeling the tears on your cheeks. Ah, it had been a while since you'd seen her - You couldn't help but wonder if the game time went on as the real world did. Had it been almost a week with her just as you────? There was no way of telling.

You take a sniff, and shuffling off Sans' bed - You remind yourself to thank him later for moving you.  
Speaking of which - didn't he say he was going to wake you up?

Walking out of his room──── Looking around his house in your tired stupor, you drag yourself down the stairs to see a note kept by the table in the lounge room. You couldn't help your snorts at the handwriting - Who would have thought the skeleton's handwriting was..

 _..comic sans._

 **yo, kid.**

 **we've gone out for a while to gather some items for the trip.  
we've talked it over, and we think it's best to warn undyne before we do anything ───  
papyrus has called her up, and we're planning to meet by late afternoon/early night. don't worry - she won't know  
who you are, but if the time comes that we need to explain the situation, i'm gonna need you to be honest  
and not hold back with her, okay?**

 **we'll be back soon. pap cooked you some food and i decided to do the right thing and let you sleep in. hope whatever you were dreaming about is ok.**

 **-sans**

 **P.S. papyrus says that he wants you to tell undyne about what happened with frisk the other day. he's practically certain it'll get him into the royal guard. s'pose we gotta help him out too, huh?**

You keep your finger against the corner of the page─── letting in a breath, before placing it down. The spaghetti was kept within the kitchen - not that it really smelled of anything. Walking over, you give it a thorough inquiry as you wait for them to return─── Before with all your strength, you say 'bottom's up.'

It was terrible─── Edible, but terrible. Regardless, it was worth the pain and you had yet to reject a dish from your friend - that was practically a track record that you weren't gonna let up on any time soon. As you hear the click of an opening door - you turn to smile as you see your friends carrying two large bags. Perfect - plenty to eat and it's with a wave, Sans motions you over.

"hey - hey, come 'ere. there's somethin' we got for ya."

It's with a blink of your eyes and a quick scuttle over you're tempted to dig through the bags to see what they'd gotten─── However, Sans is quick to hold up a finger and motion you to take a step back, "ey - not so fast. this stuff might be dangerous if you're not careful."

Glueing your arms to your side, and standing attentive─── Your brows furrow, and it's with a wiggle of his fingers before dipping them into the bag, you're met with.. _a pink glove?_

 _"tah-dah,"_ he seemed impressed ─── but you weren't buying it.

"───That's my starting weapon?"

"it was very affordable."

"─ _That's_ my starting weapon?"

"the shopkeeper even said it'll fit tiny hands like yours - ain't it great?"

"─What am I meant to do with a _glove?_ slap someone to death?"  
You see the skeleton quickly give you a squint and suddenly─── You feel yourself biting your tongue. Maybe you have killed.. a measly _few_ with a tough glove before (or a brother or two, but that didn't matter).

"anyways ─ we gotcha the armour as well," a light toss and you scramble to catch the single glove - only for your eyes to be met with something equally as impressive. A bandana─── Just a _banda-_

"an' before you go about complainin' - this isn't just any ordinary bandana."

Right. Of _course._ You nod anyway.

He flips it over to its underside─── Coming close and showing you a very poorly drawn.. six pack on it. You supposed that's what made it strong - or by his logic, anyway.

There's a chuckle and turning you around without time for protest─── he drapes the cloth under your hair and ties it in the back. Perfect - You looked perfectly _stupid_. Truth be told, by this point you were beyond words ──── Regardless, it's with a twitching smile and a squeak coming from the pink glove, you turn around with a forced grin,

"─Y'know Sans, as soon as we get to waterfall I'm getting a real weapon."

"no, 'yer not."

"I'd like to see you try and stop me."

"you won't even know how to fight with a real weapon─"

"──I'll have Undyne teach me."

"undyne will make ya go over the top──"

"──I'll be fine - oh my _god_."

You throw up your hands and it's with that same twitching grin─── Both of your palms slap down on his cheeks to make him look at you. This _guy,_ whom was perfectly capable of destroying entire **towns** was worrying over you using a weapon tougher than a glove - You were beginning to suspect that the skeleton had a bit of a problem of forgetting you were the conductor of a genocide route.

 _Not that it was really in your interests to remind him of that._

Before either of you had a chance to rile each other up more, both of your necks are hooked into Papyrus' arms, _"───SANS AND FRIEND - THERE IS NO NEED TO FIGHT!"_ he brings you both up, and it's with both of your faces turning respectively red and blue, he swings you both around in an effort to cool your jets.

 _"WE ARE AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF AN ADVENTURE - AND EVEN MORE, WE ARE TO MEET UNDYNE VERY SOON!"_ with a grin, he drops you both and simulteneously, you and Sans grunt as your rumps hit the ground, _"AND IT'S AS A **PURSUER** OF BEING A ROYAL GUARD, I HAVE TO ASK YOU A SIMPLE REQUEST───!"_

Brows raising, you look at each other, before looking back up to Papyrus as for the first time─── You're given chills by perhaps the warmest piece of sunshine in all of the Underground.

It's with a delighted smile and a spring to his tone, Papyrus says,

 _"IF YOU FOOL AROUND WHILST WE ARE WITH SPECIFICALLY UNDYNE - I WILL MAKE SURE NEITHER OF YOU **EVER** HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK AGAIN───"_ a pause, looking down at the two of you, _"REASONABLE, YES?"_

And it's with a thick swallow,

 _You both nod._


	15. Chapter 15 - The Royal Guard

You'd remembered the sound of your boots squishing against the mud─── Probably, that was the first impression that Waterfall had left on you. Hands stuffed to a jacket - you look down at the sodden soil with curious eyes, seeing tiny-little-mites crawl over every curve and crevice that hit the ground.

This place had water everywhere─── And to say the least, you were beginning to get sick of the sensation of mud sliding into your boots, but for now, you were thankful that Sans hadn't thought of the idea to push you over into it yet.

Papyrus had been a sweetie throughout the trip─── Making sure to lift you onto your shoulders as you crossed the plentiful rivers, making sure to hold you close when rocks threatened to fall on your head. To say the least here, you stuck out - One boulder stomping on you, and you would hit the floor, but to them, they could bat it away and recover within mere moments.

By the time you'd reached a small home─── You were positively exhausted. Papyrus and Sans were fine, of course - but you were the one placing your hands down to your knees and telling them to stop for a moment. You were behind them, panting ─ As Papyrus extends a mitt to knock on Undyne's door, you're all left with tilted heads as nobody came to answer.

Sans naturally seemed to turn blue at the thought─── And soon, you couldn't help but wonder. Had Frisk already respawned and killed Undyne already? No. There was _no way._ The monsters of Waterfall were still here ─── Nothing was wrong in their eyes, _right?_

 _"────AHH - LOOKS LIKE SHE IS NOT HOME,"_ Papyrus couldn't mask the disappointment in his voice- Giving a light slump of his armoured shoulders, _"I'M SURE SHE WILL BE HOME SOON. THEN WE CAN HANG OUT, RIGHT?"_

But as you feel something electric grace the back of your neck───── You feel your skin begin to crackle as you catch your breath. The arrowhead of a spear that she carried in her hand - You struggle to find the volume to speak.

"yeah - 'course, bro. she'll be here any second."

One wrong move, and she would neck you─── Place your skull on a pike, and hang it for Frisk to see. That's just what she was, a predator of the most **vicious** variety.

You begin to sweat, afraid to move even a muscle. Her crimson hair rides the wind bellowing in the caves of Waterfall─── And the least you could give was a frightened wheeze as the command is said without a word of question,

 ** _"───Get on your knees, human."_**

And without even a second of hesitation, it's with a sloppy squelch that your knees hit the ground. You place your hands up and do your best to stay still - You weren't a threat, and you had to communicate that or you were **done for.**

The skeletons are quick to spin around─── Shock on both of their faces as they come face-to-face with a tall shadow clad from head-to-toe in sharp, black armour. One gleaming eye shining through the gaps in her helmet─── Undyne keeps her spear on you without so much as a shake in her posture. Even in the presence of people she co-operated with, she certainly wasn't above killing any likely threats.

This was the Royal Guard. _This_ was ferocity incarnate.

 _"NOW, N-NOW UNDYNE─── THERE'S NO NEED TO HURT THEM! THEY ARE OUR FRIEND - THE PERSON WE MENTIONED WOULD BE COMING WITH US!"_ you could feel the armoured claw tighten on the spear, the point pressing harder against your neck.

Her response was quick, "You didn't mention them to be a human."

 _"──T-THEY'RE NOT A HUMAN! I PROMISE! THEY NEVER TOLD ME THEY WERE A H-HUMAN!"_  
"Papyrus - This **_is_** a human. I can feel their soul in their body - beating just as ours."

"undyne- this isn't what we came here fo-"  
" **Be quiet** ── Don't you understand what this _means?_ "

Sans tried, at least.

You couldn't help but thickly swallow─── Too afraid to even turn your head at your impending doom. You were sweating harder, and it's with breath drawing tighter - you began wishing that she remembered your old saves just as Sans did. At least then she wouldn't be so fixated on───

"While I understand that this is a dangerous situation── If we are quick to harvest the soul and deliver it to Asgore, we can quickly deal with this problem which is coincidentally," she bends down─── In her own, over the top way, you feel her breath sliver out from between the gaps in her helmet, " ** _another_** human."

You shook and you shivered─── She was so close. If that helmet didn't divide you── You had no doubt in your mind that she could easily have snapped you up with her teeth.

 _"───P-Please.."_ your plead was pathetic in nature - trying to speak up past her determined words, and past the skeleton's frantic attempts to get her away from you. For a moment - her spear seems to falter; an easy fault in her heart.

You'd come to know her nature pretty well by all the runs─── She was one to score effective kills, and almost always, without a hint of fear. She was ruthless, and she bled determination just as strongly as **any** human - but there was one part of her that you knew better than any other,

She **hated** unfair circumstance.

 _"Please don't.. don't kill me.."_

There's an audible lurch in her throat─── And within the silence, her spear shook. She was formal to you - after all, she was the captain of the royal guard. You could feel her spear quivering - not in fear, or from any emotional turmoil, but rather..

 ** _"───DAMN IT!"_** It flies past you, and the skeletons have to go out of their way to bend almost 90 degrees backwards. Splitting the door right in half── An ugly crack _rampaging_ up the entire front of her home, you hear the metalic sound of the monster panting against her armour. Of course, it doesn't stop there─── Hands cupping either side of her helmet, the rampage gets an encore, as soon, the metal is spin through the air and crushing the spear down to dust.

She stands above you, cheeks flushed and smile shining───  
"Why d'you kids always gotta **_plead?!_** I can't **STAND** it! Die with honour── _Die with respect for your opponents!"_

With a small noise thrust from your lips, you're yanked up to your feet and forced to turn to face her. She was just as terrifying as she always was── Snaggleteeth jutting out violently from between blue lips, she watched you with burning golden eyes.

She gives you a rough jab in the middle of your chest (even from just a feeble touch, you almost feel winded), "───WE'RE GONNA FIGHT - ** _GOT IT?_**  
You guys may have come here to CHAT but I'm not going to Asgore without a human soul in my hands! I'll talk but NOT after I've fought this kid fair and **_square!_** "

A rough point to the exit of the cave - out to the mountain where you remembered she battled Frisk so long ago, "ATOP OF THE MOUNTAIN OUTSIDE── WE WILL HAVE A FAIR DUEL, AND YOU WILL COME AT ME WITH **_ALL YOU HAVE!_** "

There's a rough breath caught from her, and before any of you have a chance for protest── She's turned sharp on her heel, and she's already marching proudly towards the mountain not so far away.

You look back to the skeleton brothers, the sweat drowning your face as evident as ever───  
They give each other uneasy glances, before Sans finally breaks the silence,

"guess we gotta fight her then, huh?"


	16. Chapter 16 - Puppet

This was the end. Meeting across the arena from the captain of the royal guards─── As the three of you approached your maker, you make out her shadow marring the bright horizons of the Hotlands below. Her spear kept by her side, hair bellowing in the wind─── She was the feeling of impending doom.

You felt yourself sweating at the heat nipping at your toes─── You still had a ways to go before you hit the lava enveloping Hotlands, but man - the sweating didn't really seem to ease up on your end. You were hardly the image of danger that she presented, the warrior standing ahead with perfect poise, ready to effectively skewer you through your stomach,

And there you were, hunched and shaking─ Bandana tied across your head, and a pink glove covering one hand. The more time that went on before the battle, the more eager you became to yell at Sans for getting you such crappy protection before your untimely doom.

Papyrus stands to the side. Perched politely─ He offers you a wave and a distant yell of good luck. Astonishingly, looking back to the golden eyes of the armoured monster, you realised you were going to need.. so much more than that.

And it's before you step forward, you feel something grab your shoulder.  
"hey kid - don't sweat it, alright?"

Your eyes squint as sweat rolls down your cheek. What was he thinking of?

"we - well, i got us a plan. it'll be fine, kay? just try to make it convincin'."

 **Dear god───** This fight was going to be _rigged_? You struggle to swallow against your already parched throat . He parts from you, joining Papyrus from the side - Stuffing his hands back into his hoodie, you watch him blissfully grin as you fearfully step forward.

Undyne follows suit. Meeting in the centre, you two were to have a proper duel. She practically towered over you, "Raise your weapon."

With a quick whip through the air── The electric blue spear is raised. You pathetically follow suit, raising your gloved fist.

You catch a quick smirk riding her lips. Clearly, she was confident.  
"───Now we turn."

She flips around── And you copy. You're back to back, when she gives the next command "Take thirty steps."

You both raise a leg to the air, and as you walk away─── You hear the metalic crunching of her boot hitting against the rocky mountain. You both take count, and as you hold the appropriate distance - you're turned away, silence looming over the both of you.

"On draw."

You swallow, before you repeat, "on _d-draw_.."

She was intimidating, and it was amidst the silence─── She became even more terrifying. You count over the seconds in your head, and whilst shivering, you find yourself looking up to the sky - begging that whatever Sans was planning was sure to work. Your hair was sticking to your skin── And it's at the final break of silence, you accept whatever fate will capture you,

 ** _"───DRAW─!"_** Her battle cry threatened to shatter the Earth itself, twisting around── Her spear is shot through the air with incredible speed, and it seems every movement you made was drawn back to slow motion. You'd barely been able to face it, before the blade seems to be perfectly on target─ You feel the sharp edge begin to cut through you like a knife through butter,

But you feel no more pain than but a gentle _tap_ of her weapon, as it seems, your spine bent perfectly backwards on its own. You blink── Head near-dangling over the edge of the mountain, the wind seems to pick up with unrelenting fury.

"─── _AHHHAH_ \- NICE DODGE THERE───" The monster cackles, bounding up to the air as a lionness ready pounce on her prey. Armoured hands reaching behind her back whilst in air── You see the familiar sight of twin spears being spun from finger-to-finger, "BUT HOW 'BOUT YOU DODGE **_THIS?!_** "

In the same fashion── You're left gawking as the weapons are shot towards you. You bite at your lip, and just the same as before - your body _moves_. This time, you're running along the edge of the mountain - The spears cracking to the ground, before disappearing to dust. You skid to a halt across from her, the Guard's boots pounding against the ground as she finally lands. She's standing away from you─── But soon, you're met with that toothy grin once more.

"──Damn, kid, you're pretty impressive───" a wave of her hands── And soon, spears appear once more. They float in mid air, and it's with perfect grace, she grabs at each one and sends them towards you. You keep running─── They miss only by a hair's breadth each time, and finding yourself forward rolling to the Earth, she conjures more spears, but you **_just keep dodging_**.

This was insanity─── Magic. It was──  
You look over to him, that teal eye lit in his socket - He was controlling you.

You're met with little but a quirk of his brows, before without warning, you're sent back into the fray. Run. Dodge. Roll. Twist. Dance ─── Dance ─── **_Dance───!_** Undyne didn't let up for a second, and your body sure as hell wasn't.

The two of you danced around the arena for some time─── Her determination fueling her strikes with dangerous precision, and the skeleton continuing to conduct you like a puppet and their master. You were both getting tired ─ You dodged, and you dodged, and you dodged, but she never gave you room to place a strike. The ground was ravaged by her attacks, and now─── You see her breaths begin to become sluggish.

But she was the warrior who never gave up! She would defeat you! She would give you to Asgore, and for the rest of time itself - the monsters of this world would be given the justice they deserved.

But it's as she staggers forward, conjuring a spear to her hand, she takes aim───  
You'd both been fighting for three hours **straight**. Her legs were drawn wobbly - and now, you were running on practically nothing but Sans' magic.

It's through her pants, the spear is flung──  
But it's with a sad whistle, it flys straight into the ground before your feet, before the guard hits the ground with an exhausted sigh. She was made of energy and ferocity, but in due time, that came to run out. Her cheek is pressed against the rocky earth, trying desperately to catch your breath.

You feel the magic leave your body─── Looking over to Sans, his eyes had returned to normal. You watch as he gives a gesture over to her, and eventually, you turn back to look ─ Walking shakily forward. Your legs felt like they were made of rubber just as her own, so it's as you approach, you couldn't stop yourself from hitting the ground just a little away from her.

"H..hey.." you pant out, "you okay..?"

You hear her grunt─── Feeling so pathetic, and defeated, "I'm fine─── Just give me a few seconds and we'll continue..! I'll have your soul - We'll get it to Asgore in time, don't you worry..!" It almost sounded sad──── Was she even talking to you?

You remembered it clearly through the genocide run, how determined she was to put every ounce of power she had into stopping you. Even going so far as to take the killing blow for just a small, small child───

She acted like she was made of iron, but she was made out of something so much more tender. Even now, on the ground - she was firing herself up to take you on once more, all for the sake of giving the monsters an opportunity to survive and be happy.

You pull a tired smile, "I know.. I haven't doubted you for a second."

There was something in your voice that was comforting─── Something that played at a heart string from so long ago. This woman had gotten between you in your quest for destruction more passionately than any other monster within this world─── And even before that, she was one of your dearest friends.

Your sins extended so much further than Sans and Papyrus ───  
For you'd destroyed Undyne's faith too, once upon a time.

It's as she grunts, slowly lifting her head to look at you── Recollection flashes in her eyes. She does not see you as the enemy - not the person who you deserved to be seen as.

"Do I.." her brows slowly furrow, ". _.know_ you..?"

You wanted to tell her. You wanted to tell her the truth─── You'd taken a happy ending away from her, too, you know. You'd taken her entire home away from her - the place she wanted so desperately to protect from the REAL monsters of this world.

But it's as you wipe sweat from your brow, you give her a grin─ Extending your hand.

"── _Nah._  
But if it's okay──"

A pause, as you slowly get up──  
"───Can we hold off fighting for when Frisk is gone? Just for now?"

There's hesitation in her eyes─── Looking down at your hand, and then back up to you. There was something in her heart that told her not to believe you, and to say the least - her expression reflected that.

..Regardless, your hand is met with hers── She pulls herself slowly up, before giving you a smirk. She slowly walks by you.. past Papyrus, and Sans.

"─────Don't think 'yer out of hot water yet, _punk._  
When the time comes, I won't be so merciful," walking back to the caves── She smiles to herself, as if reacqainted with someone lost from so long ago,

"But we can discuss the battle plan when we're back at my house.

Follow behind - I'll be making tea for us."


	17. Chapter 17 - Frailty

"────So, let me get this _straight,"_

Taking in a slow sip from her mug ─── sitting away from the woman who'd originally tried to kill you, you watch as the porcelain is lain gently to the table below. Stripped of her armour in the safety of her own home──── Your eyes couldn't help but travel to how Undyne's form became so much smaller.

Or at least, as small as it could get (even then, her muscles were something to be reckoned with).

Golden eyes flash up to you and the skeleton brothers,

"────You're telling ME," a squint of her lids - taking another sip, before huffing out the steam from her gills, "that you don't even know how you got here to _begin_ with? No fall down? No abandonment - you just sort of.. **_came_** _here?_ "

 _"────CORRECT. I HAD FOUND THEM IN THE FORESTS OF SNOWDIN, YOU SEE── THEY WERE VERY BADLY INJURED,"_ Papyrus was quick to jump to the story - and it's as you all turn to face him, he continues on, _"A BROKEN WRIST AND EVERYTHING - THEY WERE VERY FRIGHTENED AT THE TIME."_

"yeah - the kid hasn't really given them much room to breathe since they came here, i'm afraid," damn ─── you could feel the lie sit right on Sans' tongue, "we've been able to stop 'em a few times── but in the end, they just regenerate anyway."

Thick brows knit together, tapping her nails to the wood and pressing her cheek to knuckle, "──And this newcomer ─ they've just turned up with the intention with annihilating us all?"

You feel your lips purse.  
 _Was it your fault?_

"Correct," you sigh out, "The people of Snowdin are already gone. If it wasn't for sheer luck - they would have gotten Papyrus too."

You see her nails dig to the wood momentarily, but besides that─── she shows no obvious concern.

Golden eyes peer over to the tall skeleton, "And how did they fight?"

 _"────THEIR SPEED IS THE MOST CONCERNING - BUT THEIR PRECISION IS SOMETHING EQUALLY SO. THEY HAD ALMOST DEPLEATED MY ENTIRE HP IN ONE SWIPE ── IF IT WASN'T FOR OUR FRIEND, I WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE,"_ Undyne's attention is drawn back to you.

"─You saved him?"

You feel put on the spot── Swallowing thickly, you couldn't help but remember Sans' reaction to you running away. You'd fought Undyne by now - and you were sure she considered you mightier than that, but were you one to lie?

"..I-I mean ── it wasn't anything.." you hold up your hands, laughing nervously, "it's nothing. He was still low on HP anyway ──"

Silence looms over you three, before the fishwoman takes another drink of her tea. Closing her eyes── Furrowing her brows, she looks to the liquid. So, this was the fate that had become of them all? Being subject to a human's mercy - or in this case.. lack of.

Her lips purse. Something twinged inside of her - a memory that was she was so close to remembering, but just far away to never be caught.

"────We may have to contact Alphys," she sadly concludes. You feel something ugly swirl inside of your stomach - She was so desperate to protect her in every run you did... _Heh,_ what would she do now?

She wanted to protect her, but who else..  
..Who else could get those monsters - those **LIVES** \- to safety?

She looks up, giving that smile of hers. She was usually so passionate, but now? All that reflected in those fiery eyes was true, and desperate worry.

"We'll talk to her about a plan to evacuate the monsters. If you want, you guys can follow her ─ I know she has a safe place where she can keep you all," it's through her smile - she shows only sorrow. Running a nail over the curved porcelain, she looks up to you all, "Somewhere that no matter how hard this kid runs their weapon against the walls── They won't be able to get in. Never in a million years."

Her smile grows, showing those sharp teeth jutting out from between her gums─── She stands up, pointing a thumb to herself with that toothy grin, "─── _or ya can stay with me!_ Can't promise you'll keep your lives - but we could look at it like we're just.."

Her heart was breaking, ".. _Playing a game!_ Playing a game where everything'll be alright because the HEROINE will save everyone right at the last second!"

You all look up to her as she places her hands to her hips and gives out a confident cackle── Yeah, that's how it was, wasn't it? Willing to fight for even a losing battle - No matter what the cause, prepared to become the last standing pillar for the survival of her people.

 **She truly was the heroine that never gives up.**

The night had come without warning─── You were sitting outside, nearby the glowing waters, listening to the echo flowers whisper behind, and the cool air run over your skin. Your clothes were drenched by the humidity down here ──── So what did it matter if they got dirty as you lied down to the sodden ground?

You let out a sigh, watching up to the glowing lights above. You remembered the tale─── Where the monsters had given up on the opportunity to see the stars ever since the humans pushed them down to this ugly place.

But in the end, they tried so badly to find something else─── To pretend there were still those beautiful lights up in the sky above, even if it was just glowworms dangling by a ceiling.

"S-So what if 'yer scared?"

Your eyes blink── Lifting a head to hear that one of the far away flowers had started chattering. Who were they echoing?

"───I-I mean - it can't be that bad, can it?"

Your brows knit together, slowly leaning up─── Looking over to the blue plants.

"─It's just a kid! Just a kid who- who almost───  
Who almost **_KILLED_** him!"

"What'll I do─ What if I─ **_WHAT IF I────"_**

 _..Undyne..?_

"───I can't fail! I still gotta tell _he-_ "

The flowers stop, and you find your heart slowly begin to sink. The volume drains back to silence, and you're left looking at the patch of flowers act as if the very life of them had been torn out. Frisk was alive again - weren't they?

 _That's why they were so afraid_.

"hey," you hear a familiar voice talk, before a heavier body perches down next to you. Your legs were dangling to the luminescent waters── Toes wriggling against the reeds, and the tiny critters that sat down below, "can't sleep either, huh?"

You find yourself dragging your sights away from the flowers, looking to Sans besides you,

"───When can I ever?" You tried to spit out a soft hint of laughter─── Trying to let this burden ease off your shoulders, you look back down to the waters.

Taking off his slippers, skeletal feet are dunked into the waters. Soon, you both let out a huff─── Flopping back to the wetted soil.

"─She was talking to herself today. The echo flowers repeated some of the stuff she said."

"yeah?"

"She sounded afraid."

"well - that kid's pretty scary, in her defence."

Your hands find themselves fidgetting on your stomach── Fingers knotting together, as you try your best to mask your slowly closing throat, "She said she can't fail. She still hasn't told.."

"yeah, well - sometimes stories gotta end like that, kid."

Your throat felt so sore─── You were fighting it. You were fighting it so badly.  
"I wish.. it didn't have to," your voice was quiet── Eyes squeezing, as the words masked only your whimpers. Your crimes never escaped you - You hurt everyone, and now, the reaper would seek out everyone until there was but nothing left.

Hot tears run flush to the soil, hand being thrown up to your clenched teeth───  
Sans looks over as he hears you trying SO desperately to muffle your own sobbing.

There's a pause amongst yourselves─── You're left shaking, and he's left gawking.

Eventually, rolls over─── Elbow to ground, knuckle to cheek.

"when does a skeleton smile?"  
Your sobs didn't let up─── Your eyes clenched tighter.

" _kid───_ kid, hey," you sniffled, and you sniffled ─── eventually, he shakes you gently by the shoulder, "when does a skeleton smile?"

Your eyes slowly open─── Left to look up to the ceiling above with blurred and aching vision, you shivered and hiccupped, slowly looking over to a blurry-looking skeleton.

"c'mon kid── do me a favour and ask me when," his grin is tweaked── Waiting for you to respond. You don't. You just look at him pathetically────

This was all your fault; and now, you were fighting for an ending that you didn't even know would come. You wanted peace - you wanted everyone to be happy. You wanted but you never even──

He pinches at your cheek, "don't leave me hangin', kid..."

For the first time, you recognise disappointment. You see it in his eyes── And despite the fact that never once did the skeleton stop smiling, he was starting to fret. You didn't want this - you didn't want to laugh. You didn't deserve it.

You roll over. Away from him── And you feel Sans become so much more.. _lonely._

There's silence that looms over you both── You left sniffling against the dirt, curling up on your own, feeling like the murderer you always were. You kept hearing it over and over again - Undyne's fears. Her regrets.

Your tears didn't stop coming, and all you could do was curl up.  
Until arms loop through your middle - and you're pulled ever-so-gently to something warm and cuddly.

You both sit there in quiet for a while─── But eventually, as time passes - your crying slowly begins to die away. His arms were strong - you could feel something like a belly squishing to your back. He lay there, his eyes closed - silently.

Your dirty hands rub at your face, and eventually, you look over.

"───I don't know, Sans," a sniff, "when _does_ a skeleton smile?"

And then, those arms pull tighter. A quiet noise is met with him── Slowly coming back to life, those white eyes stare back up to you, but then, he speaks nothing.

"──Is it.. Is it when something bumps into his _funny bone?_ "

And then, you see his cheekbones lift── A small chuckle escaping from between his teeth. Did you both ask _and_ deliver the punch line to his joke?

"nah - you should know, kid, that shit hurts," another chuckle, before eventually, his brow lightly sits on your shoulder, "───a skeleton doesn't smile often, y'know.

but when he _does_ smile, it's because his friends are.. happy.  
that's because skeletons care about their friends - 'cause, y'know, we don't have many of 'em."

A breath out, before you hear him mumble against the clothing of your back,

"so uh - can ya..  
..can ya.. _keep.._

 _..smilin' for me?"_

There's a pause amongst you both, before eventually - Your lips slide up,

"───I'll laugh more at your next joke, Sans."

"..thanks.  
'yer a tougher audience than you let on, kid."


	18. Chapter 18 - Breaking Apart

You'd fallen asleep on the river bed─── The droplets slipping from the crevices above becoming your lullaby, it wasn't long before you were quickly enveloped by the sweet embrace of dreams. They were calmer than before ───── Sweeter. Whilst your sins still haunted you - for but a few hours, you were given an opportunity to part away from this place.

You were not a cruel person at your core, you were merely given a cruel circumstance─────  
But little-by-little, you were accepting your consequences.

Given that, you didn't accept them with a swelling heart, or a solemn head ─ You'd cried so much over the course of your visit to the Underground, that you could easily fill up a lake.. hell, maybe it was due to that sheer **shame** in your actions, those around you were beginning to loosen up. You were a demon set apart by them - A disgusting murderer who'd never even considered that the lives they'd destroyed would result in.. a pain like _this._

But for now, he lets you sleep.

Every time you tossed, or you began to whine in your rest─── Where your fears, your actions, your old heart haunted you, he would place his hand over your head, and your thoughts would be enveloped by a protective, blue light.

And then, you thought of the _good_ times, not bad─── Thinking of how you were growing closer to the monsters, protecting them. With your mighty pink glove and your astonishing bandana, you were.. becoming something more than a conductor of genocide.

You were becoming something that made you smile, and if you kept going...  
..Even when the time came that he would have to kill you─── You could end it without regret.

Maybe somewhere in his heart, he wanted that for you; to be a criminal on death row, given the opportunity to smile as they took their last breath.

Maybe you would be able to go to heaven for your atonement───  
But for now, that was so far away.

The light breaks through your vision, and soon── Your head is nudged by a hard surface. _What?_ What was.. ** _that?_**

 **"───Yo kid -** C'mon, we gotta get up," you recognise the voice of Undyne── Tapping you away with her boot and pursing her lips as you did little but groan in response.

You hear her audibly groan── Tapping you harder,  
"───C'mooooOOON. You're not even **CLEAN,** " she folds her arms, frowning. That determination was bubbling up again.. And the more you protested, the angrier she got.

"If ya don't wake up in three seconds, I'm throwin' you into the lake," when even now── You protest with all your might, there's a shrug of armoured shoulders and a grin of her lips, "───WELL THEN, suit yerself kiddo."

And it's with a lift of only one of your arms, you're held above her head. Squawking to the waking world─── you do your best to wriggle out of her arms, but alas it was no use. Undyne was made of something stronger than steel, and it was clearly a losing battle for you to attempt to be free of her iron grip.

A deadly grin spreads to her face, you continuing to squeal and squeal, "──I'M UP! I'M UP! DON'T DROP HE IN ── IT'S PROBABLY FREEZING!"

"──So now ya want to listen to me?!"  
"I WAS LISTENING!

"So you were IGNORIN' ME THEN?!"

"I WAS I WAS - I'M SORRY UNDYNE, I'M SORRY!"

Damn, this was good. She was just eating this up.  
You squirm harder, "───PLEASE PUT ME DOWN THE WATER WOULD BE FREEZING- PLEASE!"

And between you both, silence reigns. She holds you to the air, the cool breeze already teasing you about what was to inevitably fall upon your shoulders─── It's with the monster's golden gaze looking up, crimson brows knitting together,

Her cruel words finish you for the filth you were,  
"── _It's too late._ "

And then, it came like a bullet from the barrel of a gun── the icy sensation of water cutting through your clothes, and drenching you from tip-to-toe. Your attacker stood over you as you swam to the surface, arms folded to her chest and giving that sharp-toothed grin.

You splash against the surface, taking your breath with aching lungs─── FUCK it was cold. You couldn't even feel your toes anymore!

"──Now, kid," she walks to the water's edge, leaning over.  
 _"What did we learn today?"_

Dear god, it took everything you could to move let alone breathe── You look up to the fishwoman with all your strength, paddling helplessly as your clothes threatened to sink you down to the deeps below,

At least the dirt from the mud was off you, right?

"──Hmmm~?" crimson hair dips over her shoulders as she leans an ear to face you── She leans further forward, "Sorry, what was that? Cat gotcher' tongue?"

Dragging yourself to the water's edge with quivering arms── It didn't take long for you to look up at her with a frown unrivalled by any other pouting child. It's with a snort from her gills── Undyne picks you up by the sodden scruff of your shirt, placing you back to wobbly legs.

"You're a brat, y'know that?" you exhaustedly huff── Well, at least you were awake now.

"Yeah, well── I was startin' to feel jealous of all the attention you were givin' the ground," a chuckle as she rests her claws to her hips, "──BUT, now that we're awake, let's go and fit you into something more comfortable, yeah?

Something's telling me you're not enjoying having wet clothes, fuhuhu."

And it's with a confident stride past the echo flowers─── You'd practically forgotten about the frightened whimpering they told you of the night before. A brow twitching irritably - as you follow, you remind yourself it was a BAD idea to hook bullies in the back of the head. Especially bullies that would absolutely rip you to shreds if you had the chance.

Striding back to her home, she stops you at the door much to your disdain, "──Hey c'mon─ your shoes are muddy and I don't even have towels down! Hold it there, kiddo - we need to get you something to change into before we sort out what you're gonna do today."

 ** _Oh,_** this anger was making you stronger─── It had to be. There had to be some benefit to this.  
 **..Speaking of which, where were Sans and Papyrus?**

You push the question to the back of your mind when a towel is plopped into your arms before you knew it. Another one stretched to the floor, Undyne pops a head out the door── looking both ways before gesturing you to walk inside.

The door is shut and locked behind, and with a sigh── The monster quickly fixes her hair, and drops the act, "I locked the door, so you're cool to change. I included some of my own clothes in that pile - sorry if they're not exactly to your tastes."

And it's with a blinking expression── You hold tighter to the clothes.

 _..She was.. confusing._

"──So why do you exactly need me for this?" you look up to Undyne── later following her alongside a narrow bridge, "why not ask them to help you cover the duties of getting Frisk?"

You watch as her helmeted head looks down to you. Damn, she looked so much more intimidating when she wore it, "─Well, right now, they're in charge of getting Alphys here so we can begin evacuating the monsters. Papyrus more than Sans - I feel I can count on him more to get things done in noteable time."

There's a sigh from her, "And while I can usually count on other monsters here, I don't want to risk freaking 'em out, y'know? It's better that we keep this as controlled as we can."

You both walk forward, reaching a ledge. You recognised this place ─── littered by bridges and darkness, finally - you both come to a stop, in which the taller monster comes to sit. This was the place where she first attacked you── Where you were forced to run along the wooden planks, praying her spears wouldn't catch you in the fray.

As you stand there reminiscing, soon, you're called down───  
"It would be better if you sat down. At least then your legs won't feel tired when we gotta run after the brat."

You give her a quirk of your brows, but eventually── You sit down besides her. Another sigh from a metallic helmet, and eventually, the silence that looms over the two of you comes to finally break.

"Listen, I know you've been pretty quiet since we've seen each other ─ whether it was because I scared the piss outta you, or for some other reason, I don't know. This morning I saw you and Sans by the lake - and as much as I'm sure you were gettin' a kick out of it, I found something I needed to talk about."

Your brows knit together─── And it's within her pause, you find yourself biting your lip. Sans said you both wouldn't tell her what you had to do with the timelines... but what was she getting at?

"──I'm gonna cut to the chase and say you know something. I don't know how you know but I do─ You know me. I can see it in 'yer eyes── I can see it in how you're so afraid to talk. You know somethin' about me, and I want you to spill it," she was direct. Blunt. Brutal. You find your fingers bunching against the luminescent grass.

"..."  
You couldn't speak. You were afraid to.

This was perhaps the most determined monster in all of the Underground─── Holding a ferocity to protect those weaker than her to such a degree. If you told her everything, what would she do? Hold you responsible and feed you to Frisk? Kill you herself? Make Papyrus and Sans spill about why they'd dare bring a murderer to Waterfall.

You found yourself sweating. Trying your best to hide your fear── You hold at the blades tighter. Shit - this wasn't good, and through that helmet, you could feel her power baring into you. You were cornered.

Your legs twitch, and almost immediately─── Spears cut off your path before you even CONSIDER running away.

"──Don't even think about it.  
Listen, I'm not tryin' to scare you ,

but I really **hate** it when something's kept from me."

You sweated harder─── No, you couldn't die now. You── You had _t──_

"..We.. we _do_ know.. each other _,_ " the words spill from your lips with all of your fear. Her brows furrow beneath her helmet─── Almost seeming angry that her suspicions were correct. Had you hidden this from her? How did she know you? She needed to know answers.

So, you continue.

" _──A-An_ ' to say the-the least── I'm afraid that.. that you're gonna hurt me," your voice seems to break, and Undyne no more seems to loosen up. Regardless of your fear, you had to keep.. to keep **_going._**

"────We.. We used to be friends.  
We used to hang out, and you made me tea once─── You were always so scary but I really liked you, and you really liked me.

You were so determined to capture me and even after you couldn't, you were angry. You just became more angry the closer we seemed to get b-because I knew you _cared_ about me.

We used to be such.. such g-good _friends_."

You were shaking, and something seems to register in her sharp eyes. She was brutal── She was hurtful, and scary, and refused to let anyone step on her or tell her what to do. She frightened you right to your very core,

but she was also a determined friend. She was someone who would give you her all─── Someone who would protect you with her very **life.**

And it's when her armoured claws twitch── She seems to recognise that.

"..I.. I _remember._. you," little-by-little.. one piece came together with another. Her voice wasn't powerful, or mighty, or strong───

────It was **confused**.

"──You were that.. that kid─── That kid I had to capture for Asgore but..  
..When I was stuck in the hotlands about to die of heat── you.."

She places a hand to her head── Shit. It _hurt.._ _ **!**_

 **But for you, it hurt so much more.**

Your fingers knot together, and you nod── But that.. wasn't the full story, _was it?_

"────You're right, but.. there is more to this, isn't there Undyne?  
I'm sure deep inside your heart, you remember that too, huh?"

She looks up to you── _Vulnerable._

She knew.

She knew.. what you **did.**

She shakes her head, "─── _No._ Don't say it - _I don't want to remember any more..!_ "

She leaps to her feet── Standing over you as your fingers knotted tighter. It was hard. _How many friends did she have?_

 _How many people was she fighting for, when paired against **you?**_

"──You were my friend and we stayed like that! We _had_ to stay like that! **_IT'S ALL IT EVER WAS,_** ** _DAMN IT!_** "

It was hurting, seeing her break apart like that. You could hear her breathing getting heavier as she remembered─── Throwing her hand to the air, the end of her spear is pointed right at your neck. She didn't want this. She didn't want to hear the ending────

But you look up to her, past her spear───  
Past her helmet, and to those eyes flooding with tears of **rage,**

"────I killed...

 **..Everyone you ever loved, Undyne."**


	19. Chapter 19 - Telephone

You'd let them walk away─── Off into the horizon, there were crowds of them. Monsters pushing, shoving, gathering in thick streams off into the distance. You stood at the base of where they flooded, hearing the footsteps of so many rush into the borderlands of the hot lands.

The time was coming closer, and with the silence of the echo flowers - you knew Frisk had regenerated and was on their way. It would be any minute now, and the least you could do was offer your hand to help.

You stood by her - by the woman almost that killed you in her raw fear.

 _"────I killed..._  
 _ **..Everyone you loved, Undyne."**_

You could feel the guilt escalating in your bones─── And as the crowds rushed under your feet, you all standing over a cliff, you slowly look to the armoured warrior. She holds tight to her spear, ready to diverge any trouble that would lay waste to the citizens ─ Frisk hadn't come while you waited.

Her hair swayed in the breeze─── watching monsters large and small scamper over eachother in a frenzied menace. They didn't know the danger - this was just a drill and a borderline protection program at this rate. They believed it when it came from Undyne's lips──── After all, she was meant to be their hero and their symbol of hope.

As the final monsters enter Alphys' lab── Locked up and hidden underground, away from places where human hands could reach. Undyne said they would be safe there, and as such, would remain there until Frisk is ultimately eliminated for good with their SAVE mechanics kept out of their hands. That was how it had to be ──── They had to be there, where the amalgamates waited.

You wondered if fear still struck her heart──── Knowing the time where they would have to face would be approaching faster, would she be afraid?

 _Behind that black helmet, it was so hard to tell..._

...When the crowds disappeared at last, the both of you turn. You head back to her home, where the words between the two of you fall eerily silent. She hadn't harmed you─── Hell, she hadn't even tried to since you revealed it. She'd just.. shut down ─ Gone quiet, afraid to even acknowledge you.

So you try your best to speak up, "───Will Sans and Papyrus be joining everyone underground?"

Golden eyes snap down to you, watching you through her helmet. Those bellowing slits watching your every breath - with every moment shared between, you became more afraid.

Finally, she speaks, "No. Not Papyrus at least - as much as I know he's strong, and to say the least that we need him.. it's at times like this, I can't depend on him."

There's a pause amongst you. Looking down, you play with your glove almost nervously. You remembered what she spoke about him back when you were friends, "───because he's too innocent and nice, right?"

She looks back down, "I would ask how you knew that, but I figured it would be better if I didn't," a sigh from the monster, "but you're right. He's powerful - but it's at times like this, if I threw him into the fray like a true royal guard, I wouldn't see the guy ever again."

She was tough. She was brutal ─── Acted like she didn't need anyone.  
But it was now, that her voice seemed so tender, "It would suck if he died, y'know. Outta all the people here, he's done the least to deserve such a fate."

Your lips tighten. In the end, you couldn't argue.  
Your fidgeting increases, "────And with Sans?"

It was tense between you two─── In such a situation, you knew Undyne would have laughed at a suggestion so stupid. You remembered they didn't know about the side of him that killed you, over and over, and over─── But for now, all you recieve is a flat, "No."

Eventually, she continues, "The guy's never done a useful thing in his lifetime. If it wasn't for Papyrus─── He would have killed you," oh, how right she was, "There's a reason he's stationed as a sentry in Snowdin. It's his job - He's supposed to KILL humans before they have a chance to get this damned far...

...Lazy **brat.** "

There was poison on her tongue, and that just seems to make your swallow grow thicker, " _and._. and what about me?"

You both hit the panels again─── Along the wood where your positioning would remain the same. You would stay at the beginning of Waterfall, away from the monsters ─ Away from where Frisk would be tempted to go.

As boot and shoe hit the bridges, Undyne replies, "───You'll be a back up plan. I'll leave my phone with you - If something happens, I need you to be able to contact Alphys as soon as possible."

You gulp at the mere thought, " _wh..why's_ that..?"

Huh, she was almost surprised you didn't know something for once.  
"Well, y'see she has a human extermination robot. Sounds fancy, but he's really just a funky lil' dancer. A little strange for my tastes, but I'm sure he'll get the job done."

 _Ah._ You seem to openly sweat.

Undyne quickly notices, "What? Something not gonna work?"  
You could feel your hands shaking── Shivering against eachother as you struggled to tell her the truth once more. Jeez, talk about a repeat.

She stops in her tracks, turning sharply towards, "──Listen, kid. I get that you're scared of me or whatever, but I'm gonna need you to come clean. I know you're spineless when it comes to danger, but I'm gonna NEED you to tell me exactly what the matter is.

Frankly, we don't have time to fuck around when the lives of other monsters are at stake. It's something that we need to move forward with NOW."

You could feel her words practically nipping at your toes, and it's with another swallow, you hold out your hand, "..c-can i.. contact a-alphys..?"

There's a furrow of her brows──── You really were tap-dancing around her patience. It's with a sigh, that eventually a black phone is slapped against your palm, and she stands away, tapping her boot against the planks.

"Fine, fine - just make sure to fill me in on what's going on STRAIGHT afterwards, kid."

You give her a nervous nod, pressing your fingers against the pad and holding it to your ear. You hear the dial tone whisper along your eardrums── Your heart hammering to your chest as alas, the time has come to introduce yourself to someone perhaps just as cowardly.

 _*───h-hello?_

"───U-Um, hello."

 _* Wh-u-uhm.. this isn't Undyne, is it..?_

"No - It's just someone talking.. on her phone. I-I needed to speak to you."

 _* O-Oh ─── this isn't about the people in the lab, is it? Is Undyne there? I put them in the right place, didn't I..?_

"───N-no, I─── No, everything's fine──"

 _* Oh, thank heavens._

 _* Hah hah── I'm sorry── I'm just a little nervous with all this going on._

 _* Who might.. who might y-you be then?_

"──Ah- I'm just a visitor. I'm a friend of Sans and Papyrus."

 _* Oh! You're a friend of Sans?_

"─Well, I think so─── Any way─ That's not-"

 _* N-no - I think I know who you are! He talked about you some when he was o-over here..! When we were seeing if the lab was large enough to house all these monsters..._

 _*──O-Oh ── Sorry, were you saying something?"_

Ah, finally─── You take a breath. This was flustering as is - just the process alone made you both almost begin to imitate each other's stuttering. You make sure to calm yourself - giving yourself light waves of your hand, for SOME air at least.

"───It's about Mettaton. I wanted to tell you that──"

 _*───W-Wait! How do you know about Me-_

"─Alphys - We don't have the time for this. We need to talk about how this back up plan isn't going to work."

 _*──N-No, but.. no it's fine._

 _*He's a human extermination robot, you see. I mean── I didn't want him to be one but I had to install killing mechanics into him for Asgo-_

"───It isn't enough."

 _*..._

You both seem to pause over the heat of the telephone. This was quickly drawing you quite exhausted. Palms growing sweaty, you swallow audibly─── You could feel Undyne threatening to bite at your neck behind you, and hell, that didn't help the situation.

You try to regain your composure─── How was she going to believe you?

"───I'm sorry ─ I can't explain this to you over such a short period of time, but.." You grip the phone tighter, "If this human comes through and gets rid of Undyne, Mettaton won't be strong enough to stop them. By the point they reach him, he'll be gone in one swoop ─── I can't.. I can't let that happen."

You hear her be drawn to silence.

And at last, you plead,

"────Please, believe me, Alphys."


	20. Chapter 20 - Blood and Sweat

Time was beginning to slow down for you all─── It had been so quiet, and it had felt like forever since you had seen anyone. You hadn't slept through the night - Undyne said you both had no choice but to stay awake until the monster inevitably came. You'd gone from one side of the spectrum to another; being perfectly quiet one time, happy the next, and then in tears───

You started to wonder how Undyne was coping, with you being the least composed out of the two. She needed you around, and even now, you still held onto the phone since your call with Alphys ended. She said you needed it more than her─── And while Undyne would inevitably be facing Frisk, you both couldn't risk the phone getting damaged. Above all, more than her life or yours, you needed to have a weapon against Frisk─── A weapon that would work more than any other living thing.

 _Mettaton could be repaired. Real monsters couldn't._

You grip the phone harder.

You all needed this to work so badly─── You tried to communicate this to Alphys the best you could, and by the end of it, she promised you that he would retain enough defence to last. You could only hope that she went through with it; that you all would be given a so desperately needed ray of hope.

"────Hey, Undyne," you finally begin to talk── looking out to the plains of Waterfall below, even now - you wait onwards, "While we have a plan for Alphys, what plan do we have for you?"

Your eyes seem to dim, watching the water droplets land onto the grasses edging along the walls. Light splashes landing to the glowing mushrooms, the echo flowers littering still remain deathly silent.

"─I've played through this many times, but in the end─ you always came to die in a route like this. You were valiant. You were strong, but by the end of the game─── you were never alive," there's a breath from you - tracing circles onto the ground with your shoes, "We managed to save Papyrus by sheer luck, but in the end, what will happen to you?"

You look up to her, "How will you live on?"

And for a moment, you both lock sights─── Silence lingering on, you both give a breath before finally, she takes a breath to speak.

But before that chance comes, soon─── her hand is pressed against your mouth, and you're held against the ground. Eyes bulging wide and looking up to the other in raw terror─ nothing sounds within the moist caves.

At least.. _not at first._

Golden eyes watch silently through her helmet─── Out to the opening of the caves. Someone stands; a small child. You're kept effectively silent as they slowly approach, Undyne's armour kept against the shadows - neither of you to be seen.

Your heart hammered in your chest── Sweat rolling from temple to ear as her strength easily overpowered your own, you were left muffled, as she watched like the predator she was. Slowly raising a hand as the child ushers closer, the small shoes leaving marks in the grotto, a spear is slowly.. quietly.. conjured between finger and thumb.

You could feel her own shake in her strength - the moment of doubt before the heroic conquer...

 _...Right?_

The shadow comes closer, and steadying her breathing─── She readies herself. Perfect precision. Perfect amount of force behind - all she needed was the correct hit to the head, and the child would be gone.

Her eyes watch, afraid to blink - afraid to breathe.

 **..Finally, they get in range.**

And it's slowly reeling back her throwing arm─── Your eyes staring up at her with raw fear, everything runs to slow motion. From the smallest detail of her breathing - to your heart beating faster, and faster against your chest.

 ** _─────NOW!_**

Her arm is thrust forward── About to throw her spear and end this little problem once and for all, but there is something that stops her; a voice.

 _"───Hey Undyne!"_

The child below turns── Face coming to light to reveal that small lizard from a while ago. You remember, right? The one who told you about where Papyrus was in time for you to just barely save his hide.

Undyne was set on edge, but at least for now─── She's given a chance to breathe. Her spear dissipates to the air as almost immediately, she lets go of the tension with a light pant. She smiles, through that helmet down to the child monster below, with her free hand lifted to her head, the armour knocks to the grass below.

"Hey there, kiddo. What's up? Why arent'cha with your family?" her tone seems to immediately change - and yet, you were still kept to the ground. Clearly, she wanted you to keep a low profile in dire situations.

"───Oh man - I was just gonna ask you where everyone went," monster kid responds, "I-I can't find 'em ANYWHERE. One minute they were here, and then poof! they were gone. Nowhere to be seen - do you know where they are, Undyne?"

The fishwoman's lips twist up to a smile─── letting out a laugh,  
Somewhere along the line, you stop paying attention to their chatter. They were going back and forth as if nothing was wrong - and now, pressed against the ground by a single hand, you hear a gentle rhythm beating nearby.

You feel your soul strain in your chest ─ The sensation of danger.

"───No need to worry, Kid! Undyne'll help ya one way or another!"

 _Where were they?_

"─Really? Gosh - I've always wanted to be able to hang out with ya! Are you on sentry or something?"

They were here ──── You could hear them call out to you; the vessel you abandoned.

You try to speak against Undyne's hand, but soon, that only results in her pressing you down closer. Your eyes skim frantically along the darkness - where were they? WHERE WERE THEY?

Eyes darting from here, to there─── Along the corridors, behind you, _in front_ -  
 _"────MMFF!"_

You couldn't speak. You couldn't speak. You couldn't speak.  
They were hiding under the cliff, they were there! They were BENEATH───

 ** _"───MRRMPH!"_** No - _NO───_ ** _NO!_**

"───Gee, thanks Undyne! I'll follow what you said - Good luck with your sentry-ing!"  
You watch as their tiny feet scamper along the boards, but then,

As they inevitably trip─── Someone stands over them. Someone with red eyes beneath their messy fringe. You'd ripped Undyne's hand from your face── They were in front of you. You were in front of the fallen child. You were going to die.

 _"───Wh-"_ Golden eyes widen as she watches─── A weapon raised,  
You brace yourself.

 ** _"──────KID!"_** Her scream came like a siren── Shaking the very caves, and forcing the roof to threaten to fall. She stands to her feet ──── Everything draws to slow motion once more. She conjures a spear ── She had to save you. There wasn't enough time. She had to save you─── She _HAD TO──_

 **[24112 DAMAGE TAKEN.]**

 _It was just like a rerun of your genocide route, wasn't it?_

Your eyes are squeezed shut ─ Your arms folded over your face in a poor effort to bring yourself between the knife, and the child. You only had 20 HP ─── you hadn't killed a single thing in your entire run, and it was with that amount of damage, you were done for.

 _Or, at least you would have been._

Her body split in half─── Arms folded over her armour as it visciously was ripped as easily as a sheet of paper. Her eyes were shot wide - lungs struggling to push air. She was determined ─── You knew she was angry at you for destroying everything,

So why,

 _Why did she save you?_

The child behind you pathetically scrambles up─── They shivered in the wake, as their leader - their heroine, was cut in half.

"Undyne...

You're... You're _hurt_..."

But even now, she lived. With no HP left── With barely even a body pieced together, she still stood in front of you both, for she knew she was the final pillar for the world to stand upon.

As her arms try to pitifully hold her together,  
Undyne smiles── blood reaching her lips.

"───Hurt? It's nothing."

Your skin pales. Your friend─── Your friend was _d-dying───_

 _"───Undyne I..."_ The child squeaks behind you, taking one step back, before another. It was a gruesome sight - And Undyne was taking the full front of it. The code was acting how it was meant to - but now...

 _...What was going to happen now..?_

"────I'll take care of this!" Her final cries are heard─ She had to..

 _She had to..._

 _"Get out of here! Both of you!"_

No─── You didn't want to run. You couldn't leave her alone. She would die - She would die before you even had a chance to──  
The child scrambles away, but you stay. You stay and shake your head── You couldn't leave.

"───You too, punk - do it or I won't go easy on ya when this is done!"

Tears bubbled in your eyes. You shook your head.

 **[ACT]**

"───I can't leave you── not now," you pathetically sob as her arms wrap tighter to her frame. Her top half was sliding down── Pools of red and dust slowly edging from the skin of her severed form.

 *** Undyne.**

You say it again, "──I can't leave you! You'll die if you do this alone!"

And for a moment── That catches her; the reality of the situation where she would remain as nothing. Dust left to the earth, and EXP for the child of slaughter - where she would no longer be able to act... _be able to_ _ **breathe...**_

She was still scared. Still just as scared as those echo flowers repeated,

But she smiles through her pain. For _you._

"Why? Because 'yer my friend or some crap?  
Don't give me that _shit ── "_ You hear her hack between her words─── Between her aches, and her desperate attempts to keep herself alive. She had nothing left; nothing but her sheer will to survive; to protect those who were precious to her.

❤ * **Check**

 *** Atone**

"This is a dangerous place and I can't let anyone get hurt! You have to go! _Now!_ " She staggers, and the child watches as the top of her body finally begins to fall. You cry out, your voice breaking as you ran forward────

* **Check**

❤ *** Atone**

You hold her together, and her blood is shed over your arms. You cry against her back── Against a body that was still fighting to hold on. Her lungs were so weak ─ her body so heavy by the armour.

But you hold onto her── Pushing her torso to her hips, crying out with all your strength.

"───You have to do this, Undyne! You have to save us!"  
She wheezes - Face drawing pale, heart being dragged with each beat it gave.

Undyne was... _dying._

Something goes off as you try to atone. As you try to set things right── Something was going wrong.

* **Check**

❤ *** Atone**

 ***...**

 ***...Denied.**

* **Check**

❤ *** Atone**

 ***...**

 ***...Denied.**

* **Check**

❤ *** Atone**

 ***...**

 ***...Denied.**

It wasn't working! It wasn't working─── It wouldn't let you! You _couldn't───_

* **You try to atone for your sins.**

* **You try to make things right.**

* **...**

* **She won't let you atone.**

As her eyes begin to close, taking her last breath.

Her eyes turn black, and the gentle sound of her spine clicking together sounds through the caves.

* **For right now, she has something stronger to fight for.**

And it's with that final message, with you holding onto her torso─── That the caves turn white and a piercing noise shoots through the rock below. The Earth shakes as her body changes - to something...

 _...That was going to protect everyone._

You're sent back─── To the planks behind, as is the child. You're both on your backs, her kept between you both. She shines in the darkness ── Light from her eyes kissing the earth like a dawn's sunrise. She stands over the planks─── The protector. The **heroine.**

You shield your eyes in her might, as amidst the light, she turns to face you.

Boots tapping along the wood, you feel warmth as her hand touches your own. Pulling you up to your feet─── She looks you to the eye, and at last you see her,

"────I won't let you die.

Not until we've settled our score for your little ** _murders_**."

She smiles at you─── At last, her hands letting you go, ushering you to take cover, "─And now.. _I'll do the same._ "

And her spear is raised─── crackling energy of the **undying** surging through her veins,  
As you run, she turns to fight the child.

Her eyes piercing through the shadows, as Frisk slowly gets up─────

 **It was time to face Undyne the Undying.**


	21. Chapter 21 - The Undying

The Undying rushed through the air like a hurricane─── Holding speed faster than the wind, and actions hotter than the fire. With every twist she gave, the earth erupted in astonishing light ─ Her will to defend the Underground burning brighter than the very heavens above.

Her lungs pushed her body past the brinks of death─── Swinging her spear with a deadly edge that severed the child's body time and time again. Frisk continued to respawn, but her energy refused to deplete for even a second. Lightning-blue arrows raining down from the booming sky, the entire bridge was beginning to fall down.

Soon, enemy-to-enemy were pressed up against each other─── Knife against the blade of her spear. She was determined - she would protect this world!

"────That it, you little PUNK?!" A lioness casting her head to the sky, her roar was thrust through the space of the world ─── Threatening to destroy this human. Threatening to rip their very SOUL from their body.

Frisk charges forward, and Undyne follows suit with dead accuracy─── One swipe from tiny hands follows, cutting through scales and armour, but never holding enough time to unleash more than a papercut amongst the monster's body. Undyne's black eyes surged through the darkness ─── Her grin powering forward, her spear rocketing through the head of the child.

She would kill them again, and again, and again─── **_And never,_** would she give up!

There was blow after blow left upon her body─── But it was within the light, she was able to fight on. Able to sever this child's life from their world second, after second. The two predators danced along the darkness, and with repeated swipes of their knife, Undyne's hair slowly was disappearing to the wind every time she dodged.

Her HP was depleting, but even now─── She fought on. Their shadows cast along the walls of the cave as they attacked each other again and again without mercy; _SWIPE, STAB, BLOW, BLOW, **SWIPE.**_

Frisk charged forward with silence, and Undyne leapt back with prowess─── One wore nothing but a serious expression, the other was smiling as if it was their final bout before their time to die. Undyne danced with death, and she did it proudly ─ She stood as tall as she had to, to make sure that never again, would the Underground have to live in fear.

But Frisk fought on - mightier than the monster could ever hope,  
Swipe after swipe, as little damage as they did to her - it was piece by piece, her body was slowly caving away. Undyne watched on as her body was being cut away, little by little, her hair once long and beautiful, now cut jagged and short──── She dodged, she flipped, they skid along the waters, circling, and circling, and circling.

Frisk would fight on, and so would she─── But her health was going away,  
 _How much longer would the Undying stand?_

The child leaps through the air, their muscles drawn to rubber- and their lungs burning with every breath. With one downward slice, their blade saws through the space between─── Water rockets around Undyne's feet, holding up her spear to block with all her might. Frisk pushed further down. Undyne pushed further back─── The water sprayed faster, and little by little, the heroine was being pushed back.

 ** _She would fight on!_**  
And it's with a skid of her feet, and a throw up of her hands, the child is thrown behind─── Undyne recovers from the momentary slip, reaching out, and spears being thrust into the child's battered body.

Blood sprayed along the waters, tainting the waterfalls, and making the soil smell like rot ─ There was not much more they could do, as they died, and they died, and they died.

Again, they stand up─── And the black eyes of the hero stare down,  
"────How much more.. do you have in **_you.._**?!"

They fight again, Frisk moving forward─── Undyne coming to block. Her own body was beginning to give, with less than 20HP left ─And being pushed back, again, and again, and again. Her spears charged through the earth, destroying the land ─── digging so far into the skin of the child that bone was visible.

They kept recovering─── They just wouldn't stop ** _!_**

 ** _BUT SHE WOULD FIGHT ON─── SHE WOULD FIGHT───_**

 **[1134 DAMAGE TAKEN].**

What happens to a man, when you long to fight on─── When you have something true, and pure to endure for,

But by the end of the road, your body betrays your spirit?

With all her wounds, with all her efforts── And her scars to prove,  
The sorrow on her face shows how disappointed she had become.

"────Damn it," she's reached 0HP - living on,  
With nothing more than the will to protect, "───So even with THAT power..."

Her beaten armour wipes the blood from her lips─── Skin ripped apart,  
No longer herself,

 _"──It wasn't enough...?"_

Her legs shook── She still,  
With nothing left but her spirit, she still raised up her spear. Her body was dead── Her eyes were nothing. Her body was paling, the Undying was...

It's with a baited breath, she gives her enemy a smile,

"───If you think I'm about to give up hole - You're wrong."

Her body bled. Her heart no longer held a beat.

"'Cause I've.. got my friends behind me..!  
Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you ─── And if anything went wrong, she would,"

The expression amongst the killer's face finally changes─── The passive look of Frisk suddenly changes to.. enraged. This wasn't── This wasn't how things were meant to be, right?

"Evacuate everyone."

Her grin shines forward── Her faith in the monsters leading her through these vital moments,  
"By now, she's called Asgore and told him to absorb the 6 human souls──"

And it's before she has the moments to die away; to reveal the last few words of her dialogue──  
To melt away, and shout out to the void that this world would **_live on,_**

The child charges in their anger. Eyes struck wide, knife thrust through the space between───  
Undyne's eyes widen as her breath is caught, having no energy to move - having no heart to keep her alive.

So she closes her eyes, and accepts her fate.

Like a guillotine, the blade swings down── Aiming for her head,

But in the last few seconds, something comes between. A manly bandana── Stretched out over Undyne's neck, catching the blow - and leaving Frisk to do nothing but fall to the ground, panting in their wrath.

You stood over the kneeling Undyne, fear in your eyes─── Taking your armour.. and _giving it to her._

The Undying looks up to you, black eyes no longer holding the spark of life───  
But the warmth of seeing.. an old friend she used to stand by.

 _"..Heh.."_ She couldn't help but smile─ You were shaking. There was no terror like this that she'd seen, but it was with your own fire in your eyes, she was given a chance to..

"We haven't.. had a chance to talk.. _have we, kid..?"_ Her voice was so broken.

Frisk stands away, knife almost slipping from their hands─── But it's with a thick swallow, they charge forward again. Towards you standing over the defeated warrior, declairing in their head that they were to destroy you both───

They run at you, holding up their knife,  
But it's as they come close, they're impaled.

Six spears through their midsection── Leaving their soul to die away once more.

Undyne doesn't have much left, does she?  
But even now ─── She has it within her.. _to fight._

You look down to her, and you see something has gone so very wrong. Her skin was giving── Her sweat was soon turning to her own matter.. her body was melting away before your very eyes, and it was within your desperation,

With your tiny arms, and you're raw adrenaline, you pick her up─── Running away before Frisk had a chance to respawn. You ran with tears in your eyes, feeling her arms run to liquid, and her muscles flow through your fingers───

Eventually you find refuge in a tunnel, placing her body against a cramped wall, and crying out.  
Her head lulled lifelessly forward, everything that held her together was dying away───

───But even in this state, she smiled at you.

You pathetically sniffled, reaching up to grip her cheeks - to get her to look at you,  
"────U-Undyne─ Y-Y'can't go yet,

This was m-meant to be my perfect run. This was meant to be where I fixed everything _and._."

The dead creature lets out a hoarse laugh── Opening her eyes,  
Staring right through you.

"───It's not.. like I have a choice, you brat.." even now, she wanted to appear tough to you── To make herself seem like even now, in this death,

She was so powerful, "Don't rub it in, _heh..heh._.

My body's melting away── I don't even think.. my organs are here anymore.  
All I feel is liquid - the reminder that.. that I've.."

 ** _"───You haven't failed!"_** Your cry echoes throughout the tunnel, "You've done everything you could! You always have- You always───"

It was then, you feel something press against your cheek. Her hand, wiping at your tears── You could feel her bone starting to emerge from her skin, everything else.. dying away.

"You know..  
You're always so scared of everythin'.. aren't you?"

Her smile shows through her tired eyes── Body sinking lower down the wall, as almost tenderly, that thumb brushes over, and over, and over your skin, "─I still remember what you were like when we first hung out.. you ran away from me.. didn'tcha..?"

A chuckle comes from her── Hearing her liquefied lungs bubble up against her throat, "──An' then I collapsed in Hotlands because I was so keen on chasing you.. I was so desperate to capture you.

You gave me some water to cool down─── You were..

..A big **_NERD!_** "

You keep crying── She wasn't getting better. She was dying away, piece by piece.

But it was then, that the same menu as before────  
APPEARS AGAIN.

 *** [ACT]**

It's with shivering hands, you reach up to hold her own. It felt so bad── Like mud slipping between your digits. Undyne continues on, "And when you came back - when you reset, I felt so..

So _alone._

It was like my best friend in the whole wide world had come back─── Just to hurt me, y'know?  
It.. It fuckin' **_hurt._** "

Your brows knit together── Skin wrinkling as the tears flowed faster.

 *** Undyne the Undying.**

"──I thought I'd lost my friend for so long. I never remembered you after you reset, but I still..  
..I still felt so sad; like there was somethin' I'd let go of one day that I could never get back."

You nod against her hand── Choked sobs being SQUEEZED against your throat.  
She didn't even look like herself anymore.. But even now, she still smiled on.

❤ * **Check**

 *** Atone**

"But then.. you came back.  
From the first moment I saw ya ─ I knew.. I knew it was you.

My.. My first _real.._ "

You couldn't even hear her laugh underneath all the liquid. She was sad - She was sad that she had to go away, when she was so close to.. making things alright again.

But she couldn't fight forever. She was the evidence that no matter how long you try to fight─── There comes a time where you have to put down your swords, and be _told..._

You squeeze your hand once more against her own── The bone itself run to mush, and your tears continuing on,  
You didn't even know if she could hear you anymore, but even if she couldn't...

* **Check**

❤ *** Atone**

 _...You wanted to_ _ **try.**_

"───I'm s-sorry I did that to you, Undyne," be brave - be strong like her, "I'm sorry I made you put down your guard, and accept someone only for them t-to..

To kill you, and to kill you, and to kill you again," you remembered how it felt when you were in Frisk's position── Trying to kill her over, and over, and over again, only for the heroine to win every time.

But eventually, you toughened up─── You told yourself you were the enemy.

Your determination killed her, and it was from then on - you had betrayed.. your friend.

"──I'll.. I'll try my best to be brave now, Undyne," you choke as she holds on, "I'll try my best to make sure I never hurt any more friends ever again. I'll be strong for you── I'll protect..

I'll _pr-protect_.."

Her hand slips past you── Dragging to the ground in a puddle of liquid,

"..Knowing you," a voice comes from the waters── The very last few seconds of her existence, "It'll be a little frantic but..I think.. you'll do a great job, kid.

Be.. Be determined. You'll win this ─ I _know.._ "

And it's within then, that her remains are left to dust. The waters rushing along the winds── Turning to the ashen grey marks, dancing around the lights of this beautiful, beautiful Waterfall.

 **"..I know you'll keep this world alive for me."**


	22. Chapter 22 - I'll Find You

**Your eyes ached so much─── And hell, your stomach was hurting more than words could explain. You'd sat there against the wetted bottom of the cave, sobbing out your heart - and curled up against the dusty floor. This was getting hard, and the sensation of heartburn looming in your chest was beginning to be a regularity.**

 **They'd come for you too, you know? You were losing count of the hours, but it was only a few before they'd found you. You remembered her; what Undyne wanted, but oh god ─── It hurt so much.**

 **Whenever they kept turning up at the lips of the tunnel,  
You thought of Undyne when you killed them.**

 **Something was becoming so, so wrong with you.**

It had been days since you'd last seen them─── Kept underground with the rest of the monsters, you'd sat by Alphys as they both unfolded the fight piece-by-piece. You'd watched her unravel to something hysterical ──── Crying out to the monitor as Undyne slowly decayed to nothing right before her eyes. Alphys was already in a bad place - Hell, when wasn't she? You had the honours of front-row seats as she cried out for the fighting to end,

You remembered that you had to drag her away from watching; to tell her that it was just torture at this point. She'd cried out, shaking to her very core - shit, she looked so small now without someone to help her stand. She'd never had it in her to tell Undyne - She didn't think Undyne was in her league, even if they hung out more than you and a nice bottle of ketchup...

...And now, it's within the darkness─── Alphys locked away in a room with Mettaton, it's with whirring in the background, you remember how much time had passed. You all had to stay here - You couldn't even open the door out of the raw fear that the reaper would come for you. At this point, it was becoming a sensation of waiting for the inevitable; the moment of silence before the guillotine came down on your head.

You knew you would be fine, but what about the kid?  
The longer the time was spreading out, the longer your anxiety began to nip at your heels. Undyne had brought them with her, and now ── You were left wonderin' where they'd gone off to. They'd always had this habit of ditching when they couldn't sleep.

 _..You couldn't help but wonder if they were left alone, sleeping okay._

With nobody looking at the monitor of Alphys' computer anymore─── You were left with your hands in your hoodie, occasionally coming to return infront of the screen. Sadly, unlike people - cameras had no legs to follow, and the minute the kid had picked up Undyne, you'd lost them. You saw Frisk's soul turn to shards ─── they'd died, but you knew they would come back.

You'd come back to the monitor again, and again - and then, you left. You'd see if everyone was doin' okay, and then, you'd come and sit back down. Almost like you were hoping the kid would burst in to show their face in front of the camera─── It was during the next three days you'd learned to grow a sense of real patience.

But the more you were checking out that screen, the more obvious it was becoming that they weren't coming back. Huh - Were you sad about that?

Well, you still smiled as usual. Hell, when weren't you smilin'?  
But you were beginning to feel a little sleepless yourself─── Telling yourself that the longer you waited, meant the less time was between that they would show their dumb face on that glitchy screen.

It was the end of the fourth night, and you'd stopped trying to move at all. You'd shout out from one side of the room to ask if any kids needed cheerin' up ─ or if any parents needed help sorting out rowdy teenagers, but it was now that you'd... become very acquainted with this spot.

All you'd seen for four days straight now was that same patch of broken bridge. Watching the water drip from the ceiling, and land to the puddled marsh below. It was becoming something you were very well acquainted with─ And yet, even now, whenever you even heard so much as a scrap of noise from the monitor,

Your back would straighten. You would lean forward.

..And it would just be a mouse that's found the camera, _heh._

It was something you were struggling with now, and by the point of five days - your bones were beginning to lock in place. Hands holding your knees to your chest - you practically hid in your hoodie. The fur tickling your cheek as you fought falling asleep─── Things were slowing down more for you, as even now, the kid wouldn't show up.

 _"────SANS?  
SANS, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"_

You'd reached a point where you'd figured it was time to at least scout for a dead body. It was a shame, really - for the kid, like it or not, was growing on you. You were still gonna kill 'em in the end, but it was still a shame to see them leave before they were really ready to.

You'd come home with your brother,  
But now it seems - you wouldn't be able to save anyone else in this fallen place.

Your eyes close as you don't answer him - Your body disappearing out of existence before he had time to reach you. You couldn't open the door... not unless you wanted Frisk to come in, and kill all the lives you'd tried so hard to save together. That wasn't right, even if by now - the lack of sleep and the lack of hope was startin' to get to ya.

As you're situated outside of the lab in the middle of Hotlands, you couldn't help but wonder as your hands are stuffed to your pockets, and walking forward.

 _..You bet they would have cried a lot. They always did ─ Ever since they first got here._  
 _Just a snivelling little **kid,** weren't they?_

You couldn't help but smile─ Walking faster, listening to the wood below your feet as you cross a bridge to Waterfall. It was so empty here ──── No royal guards. No children littering the plains. No random encounters - just you.

 _You wouldn't be lyin' if you said you were used to it._

And as you walk through the darkness, into the caves that were barely illuminated─── You feel the rain start to pour onto your bones. Seeping through your clothes, and running over your cheekbones - it felt surreal as you felt the waters trickle into your eye sockets.

Your white eyes looked nowhere but forward─── They didn't need to, for in the end, it was getting to a point where you were just.. lookin' for a corpse.

 _..Heh._

 _..You felt kinda sad._

And it was as you reach the river-littered parts of Waterfall, passing by the beautiful echo flowers within the soil, something catches your eye. One of them begins to talk - In a voice so frail, and so broken,

You could hear the flower imitating someone's crying. Someone's poor, pathetic crying.

For the first time, you seem to hesitate in your steps. Feeling something constrict so painfully in your chest─── You keep walking. You had to.

More flowers begin to speak up. One crying after another, letting out muffled noises of whimpering, and others letting out sounds of someone falling to the ground and scrambling away. Huh, so the kid really was running for a while with Undyne in their arms?

The echo flowers cry around you, and it's with your legs beginning to shake─── At last, it becomes too much. You reach back to the fur of your hood, pulling it over your head as your forehead presses to the sodden ground. You're curled up - in pain - hearing nothing surrounding you but echo flowers crying, and crying, and crying.

 _...Until you hear something clearer._

Slowly, your head raises─── Your hood flopping limply over your eyes. Your eye was showing ─ That ugly teal that always made people scream. You were finding it hard to let go, and it's within the darkness, the magic in your eye ignites.

It was so hot─── It was like fire. You pull a hand over it── Closing your sockets in a poor effort to make it go away. It didn't. It stayed. Your soul was hurting. YOU were hurting.

But the clear voice continues ── A sniffle echoing through the caves.

Heh, you were always so _lazy_ \- and yet here you were, running as if your life depended on it. You ran through the caves, past the echo flowers and into a maze. There were tunnels everywhere - offshoots even more. There were rivers running left, right and center - but your eye helped you. Your eye made you _remember._

They were running. **Forward. Left. left. Right. Forward. Down. Down. And in.**

The teal in your eye vanishes─── But now, you knew where they were. You don't waste any time. You run forward through, taking a left in the tunnels, and then a second. They were in deep ── And the deeper you got, the less light illuminated. Your eyes glowed in the dark; beautiful orbs of delicate white...

 _...You keep running._

You take a right, and the tunnels get smaller. You find yourself bending over,  
But you keep running.

Forward through, and then there's a drop. Down to a light film of muddy waters── The darkness kept following you.

You drop down, and almost fall over at the impact. There's another drop, and soon, you repeat yourself. Dirt and rot covers the ivory fur of your hood, and it's with you looking through the darkness, you notice the light patters of another liquid along the ground.

 _Blood._

Finally, it comes to a point where you stop running─── Wadding through the water, to your final destination. The lips of a tunnel that was barely larger than you were, you take a breath, before at last,

They're there. Kept against the wall of a dark place, curled up and crying. They sounded pathetic. Weak. You notice something else infesting the water ─ The dust of Undyne. It lay there cluttered amongst the liquid, and it's then ──── You look back up to the body wracked with pain.

They had blood on their hands. Blood on their face. Blood on the glove you bought them.  
They had blood... _everywhere..._

You slowly wade through the waters, and it's then── They shoot their glance to you, and your heart shatters.

Right across their face, from right brow to the left of their jaw was an indention so ugly,  
One of their eyes had been ripped open, and even now, they cry.

Silence comes over you, hands slowly raising. You were shaking ─ Your breath was broken, and your voice...

"────S..Sa- _aa_ ns..?"  
You were next to them in a heartbeat, keeping them close and pressing your temple to their own. They were so small - quivering in hurt and jolting with every touch you made. You were there - you were there and now they would be fine.

Your teeth presses against their ripped skin,  
Trying to kiss their wounds without even any lips.

"─────shit, kiddo," your own voice seems to break as you hold them tighter─── Brushing back hair sodden by sweat and water,

"─you had me worried _sick._.."


	23. Chapter 23 - Repetition

**(*AN: This is based off real events, so if you can, just for this chapter, be respectful).**

* * *

It had been a slow night──── You had come to lose feeling completely in your right eye, and by now, you were left shivering and injured. You couldn't remember much over the past five days, and feeling your aching body be finally lifted from the bog,

 _You could barely breathe, as the world blurred around._

You recognised him, though.. and it seems, even with your wounds─── He recognised you. Your head ached so harshly, feeling needles tear into the skin near your jaw, unable to tell if your attempts to shut both your eyes at once was working...

...You hadn't eaten, and you couldn't remember if you'd drank. You were so weak─── And Frisk's blood on your hands, you were left outside a cave, watching as he'd left, and come back with something for you.

"────here, kid," his voice was so gentle -  
Even with your damaged skin, as he held out a crabapple for you to take, your first reaction was to reach past, and press your palm against his cheek.

 _"Sans..."_

You were delirious by this point, and the longer you took to even notice an item was there to begin with ─ the more his voice came to naturally quiver. He presses the apple close to you, shaking his head - sayin' it again, "───c-c'mon, kiddo.. y'need to eat."

But even seeing the worry in his eyes, it didn't register. You just brushed your thumb slowly over the bone - feeling the ridge in his cheekbone, and the gap leading to his jaw.

When you speak, you sound so defeated, "───D'you remember.. when we first met..?"

You could almost feel him cringe against you, a breath shaking his ribs -  
Even through his fear, you continue.

"───You were.. so determined to hurt me.  
And yet here you are now, pressin' an item to me - begging for me to eat..."

There's a soft breath of laughter ─── As another hand lifts.

Your fingers graze over the texture - wondering what it would taste like to crunch against your teeth. The food supplies were dwindling now within the chaos of the genocide route - you couldn't help but wonder.. how many more there were of these.

But it's with a gentle grunt, you push it away. Out of his hands, and in his struggle to keep a grip, the fruit drops to the ground - rolling away from you both into the sloshy mud. His eyes flash fear, reaching out to it, but in the end... _what was a dirty item worth?_

 _Would it really help you?_

Your eyes meet again, and he looks so panicked. By this point, he had seen so many die─ and every life that he'd reached out to, would wither away with no regret. That was the fear that lingered within him, and now - as you smile, could you even.. realise why he looked so hurt?

 _"─Y'know.._ before I came here, I had to take care of someone too," your smile still grows - cracking the clotted blood, and forcing new droplets to come through, "It was.. really hard."

There's something shivering in your voice. You think of her, the one person who had so much determination to survive─── to the point where even her body began to betray her in the end.

You smiled.

"───It was kind of like.. waitin' for the inevitable, but the inevitable wasn't happening to me. It was really weird gettin' up each morning and things would either be better or worse -

'Cept.. nothing really helped cushion my fall when things got worse.  
It was really weird, especially because I was so young then, and I'm so old now."

As you ramble on, that smile starts to fade─── you stare out, past his shoulder. You looked vacant. You didn't know what you were talking about, or even if Sans was still there. There was nothing keeping you awake at this point ─ with nothing but 1hp to hold on to.

"────I didn't really like it. I felt like I had to grow up really soon, when I've always just wanted to be a kid. I mean, my momma's always had bad health, so I've been kinda _used_ to it ───" your head leans back against the wall, looking up to the glowing lights above, "─but what's supposed to happen when you're stuck in limbo for so long?

Do you try to stay positive, only to let yourself be crushed───  
────Do you wait it out and hold her hand when she's finally gone?"

There's a pause amongst you both─── The skeleton looks to the crabapple slowly dying in the rot, before letting out a sigh and joining you beside. You both were creating an image for yourselves, weren't you? Sitting down, and talking it out - letting the world pass by, and you both were left to nothing but observation.

There's a grunt, as his hands press to his knees───  
He doesn't look you in the eye, but there still was something.. _there_ in his tone.

"───so, ya wanna go, then?"  
There's a twitch to his teeth, letting out a huff, "that's why you didn't come out? no attempt? no nothin'? i thought you were dead, and this is the reason why?"

By now, your smile had long since vanished. You didn't cry─── in fact, you were afraid to. You merely kept a passive expression, body limp - and eyes staring out.

Sans continues on, "─you were left.. lookin' after someone and then..  
an' then this game became some kinda.." there's a grunt, and soon, his words fall short.

There's a pause to your voice─── Your response is as dry as your throat, looking over, the gash splitting your eye looking to him in all his glory, "─It was nice having someone who got it, y'know."

You watch each other──── Your lips drawing thin, and you looking back away, "─It doesn't give me an excuse, but it was nice having someone be in the same place as me; nice having someone have to endure the same confusion I had.

I didn't want to be the only one here not knowing when someone would go away, or not knowing how much longer they had to breathe alongside."

And soon, there's a swallow,  
"───And seeing Undyne fight so hard to stay alive, it made me remember exactly the reason why I killed so many to begin with. There's blood on my hands even now.. _isn't there..?_ "

And his eyes draw down─── Thick blood cradling your arms to your elbows. Until now, he'd just suspected it was yours.

 _But now?_

"───kid.." there's something in his voice that seems to shake─── Being faced with the same vulnerability of so long ago. You two wait in silence, and it's then, you begin to smile again...

... _But it was so fucking fake._

"It's so nice to be here, even if it's for a shitty reason. I keep sittin' here, crying my eyes out and for what? Because I just wanted it to stop─── I just wanted everything to _stop_ ," your smile shakes - stretching along your features, "It's so nice to be here and to forget, but at the same time, everything just keeps coming back. Undyne fought so hard - just like her. She's probably fighting in the same way.. _right now._

I don't know if my mother's okay. If my family's okay── I could come home any day, and look my father in the eye and be told she's dead. I've been preparing for this for seemingly ever, and in the end, _what will it grant me?"_

The blood from your would dripped as your brows arched── the scabbing starting to give, and your wheezing followed suit. It hurt. It hurt _so_ much, "Someone'll be dead by the end of this. It'll be nice if it was me so I didn't _h_ ──"

And it's then, there's a hand on your own, and your words fall to silence.

"lemme.. lemme get a look atcha.." those digits slowly curl around your hand── bringing it up, bringing you close. He looks you over, running his fingers up your damaged skin, and turning his fingers slowly red. It was a tragedy ──── everything was falling down, and who was there to pick up the pieces?

There's a sigh, and soon, his hands are fumbling around in his pockets. Feelin' around, and around ─ until finally, he finds something.

Your eyes close as he tries his best to apply a square patch of cotton, and some gauze. It wasn't the best, but he tried what he could with what he had. Eventually, you look up to him, and another sigh comes from the skeleton.

"it's okay if things are hard, y'know?"  
There's a pause amongst you, and slowly, your sights fall down.

He continues on, reaching to the back of your head, and gently guiding you forward, "it's not like it means you have to go and put yourself in front of a knife like that, but the least i can say is i guess.. i understand the need."

Your temple is pressed to the fur of his coat, your eyes shut── Slowly _.. slowly._

"──she had lots of stuff to fight for, undyne.  
an' judging from your reaction ─── you had good reason to be upset that she couldn't fight for that stuff forever. that kid's a powerhouse; capable of so much shit, and it's because of that, good people die," he was terrible at comfort─ but it's with large fingers running along the center of your hair, he fixes up the messes and curls to the best of his ability,

"we'll get through this together, ok? we'll find a way to fix this, and i'll find a way to help ya. not with a solution that ends up with as many dead people as before but.. i'll find somethin' that'll work. somethin' that'll make ya happy."

There's a pause lingering amongst you both, and it's with shaking hands─── you slowly cling to the coat around his shoulders. Fingers like talons hooking to the material, it's with clenched teeth ─── you do little but breathe out your hurt. She was trying so hard - she was trying so hard and you were right there.

To say the least, it dug up stuff you wished you could force back down. It was easier when you just had an outlet; when you had a place to go─── to forget, and to indulge. There was something about Frisk coming time, and time again - There was something that made you remember.

You couldn't remember much from those days left alone by Undyne's dust───  
But you did remember standing over their body, pink glove tainted with the rotted blood of a sinner. You remembered picking them up by their collar,

And smiling, saying you would kill them for as long as you had to if they kept seeking you out.

You breathed heavy against the fur ─ Too afraid to cry, but rather, you just wheezed. You wheezed, and you panted, and you held tighter. It hurt. It hurt so much ─

 **Does it hurt?**  
 **Does it hurt when you do this to me?**

 **Look at you, all mangled and broken─── I'll help you up if you promise to stop.**

 **No?**

 **Then I'll just have to kill you again, won't I?**

"────S-Sans-s.." you choked against him── and he held you tighter.  
It hurt. It killed. You couldn't stop it - you couldn't──────

His teeth rest against the top of your head── rubbing circles in your back and telling you to hush. Your eyes widen against the material of his coat, for a moment - the hyperventilating stops. Your body slowly dulls to a cool quiet,

He runs his hands slowly through your hair.

"─it won't hurt forever, kid," for now, he'll protect you── in all your blood, and your pain,

You feel the bridge of his nose brush against your own, separating you from the fur of his jacket for only a moment. Your eyes meet, your disgusting, ravaged face meeting with the smooth bone.

It lasts for only a second,  
But that second was enough.

You part from the kiss, nestling your head back under his jaw───  
As it's now, he says his last words as you drift off to sleep,

 _"────i'll make sure it won't."_


	24. Chapter 24 - Bedside

Your body was limp for most of the trip back──── being swept through the shadows, only the lights of the stars above illuminating your skin, it had been time to rescue you. He'd stayed by your side, cradling you in his arms─── Walking the way back, afraid that even just a slip up of space would be enough to finish you off. He wouldn't allow that. No, you had a lot more worth to him than the 1HP you had remaining.

Even within the quiet of Waterfall, he could hear someone follow. Frisk was always there, it seemed─── But it's in the quiet of the caverns, he watches the murderer search on, looking for you both. For now, in your weakness ─ he would step between you, and your death. You had a lot of fight left in you, but one more hit, and you would be following Undyne to the grave.

"..here, kid," you're nestled to the cool floor of laboratory tiles── Being given some water at last. You could barely bring yourself to open your eyes - you wondered how long it would take before infection would sit in to your open wound. You take the bottle as tightly as you can, guzzling down water to the point it slipped past your lips, and trickled down your throat.

 _Fuck, it burned───_ You could hear the fearful chattering of children and parents murmuring at the offset corners of the lab, wondering what happened to you.. or what monster you were, for the matter. Sans tried his hardest ──── saying you were just a skeleton with a suit on (which for the most part, was correct).

You took a breath, and you felt life flush through your veins. God, it seemed like forever since you'd felt hydrated─── your lips were so dry.. and you were so delirious. It wasn't long, before your eyes shut again, and you were back to the realm of dreams.

As you wake, you're in the darkness of a small room. A single bed where you could sleep─── heh, almost reminded you of Sans' room. You rolled over on the plush mattress - your whole body was aching, and to say the least ──── your head was pounding. You could do little but mumble as you slowly woke up,

It was.. surprisingly neat here. Not a single speck out of line. To the right of you there was a desk with a light stack of papers, and an assortment of pens to the side. You blinked─── Looking along the wall, and seeing books, upon books, upon books. There wasn't a single poster within these walls─── It was strange to see a place so.. bare.

You turn to your back, looking up to the ceiling─── and catching the first out of the ordinary sight,  
a single circle drawn on the roof in a black marker, with odd notes kept to the side. You squint your eyes, trying to make out what it said.. but alas, the words were much too small.

The only thing that you could read beneath was... Symbols. Many symbols. Hands pointing left, right, up, down and an array of other things - circles, suns, faces...

 _"────Worm..hole...?"_  
And it was something to your shock; something that almost sent you straight out of bed to hear the voice of Sans right by the door, "somethin' the matter, kiddo?"

Your back is quickly sent against the wall in your flustered disdain, holding a hand tightly to your heart─── He could do little but stare as well, your energy had come back without warning, hadn't it? You hadn't even noticed he was there ─ Dear god, that was a nightmare.

You could feel the sweat trickling down your cheek, but soon, after the other giving a light bout of laughter to your frantic squeak ─── slowly, your shoulders seem to loosen up, and your spine returns to its less-strained state.

There's a huff, but eventually── you gain the wind in your lungs to respond, "No - It's fine," you reach up- running your fingers through your hair when you feel something rough against the tip of your fingers. There's a blink of your eyes, and it drags down, around to the back of your head─ a neat bow behind.

 _..Huh._ There was a bandage covering your eye and you didn't even know it.

You hoped it didn't look too bizarre.

"head still poundin' from the water, sweets?" the skeleton asks, walking over and slumping a heavy body down by the foot of your bed. Even stranger - there was something poking at your memory. Something you couldn't remember────

"───Yeah," you mumble a response, fingers continuing to kneed at the bandage in which your bloodied flesh still clung to, "Hey Sans, can I ask you something?"

There was a blink of his sockets─── before eventually, he gives you that same, loving smile, "go ahead, kiddo. what's on your mind?"

Heh── you almost looked a little sheepish. You were sure it was just a dream, "──So-um, how exactly am I here? I don't really── uh-"

You clear your throat, before looking up to him, "───I remember being in a cave after Undyne had passed. I don't really.. I don't remember anything after that, I don't think."

"ah."

"What?"

"it's nothing──"

" _No,_ tell me."

"y'know," the skeleton lets out a clear of his own throat── shiftin' his weight forward, leaning in close. You could feel your cheeks lightening up, and a blank expression quickly turn to a frown so prominent it wrinkled your face, "you were really weird. even kinda set me off."

"..W..Weird..?" Oh god─── had you done something?

"yeah," his teeth are right infront of your lips, " _super_ weird."

Dear lord── you were going to get it now, "──Like.. Like ** _weird-_** weird or just questionable-weird?"

And for a moment, the space between you grows dead. You feel it── sins crawling on your back. By god, even when you both were on friendly terms, he still had this way of wondering just how safe you...

"yeah.. weird-weird," there's that flash of cyan, and looking up── you swallow.

..Before eventually, there's a light slap to your leg and Sans is quickly laughing at how rilled up he gotcha. Damn─── nice joke. He thought it was priceless.

"───nah, i'm just pullin' ya leg - you were just a little loopy, nothin' bad," a wipe of his socket── damn, he really thought he was hilarious, huh? "only just a little ki-"

 _"Kiss?"_

"──sorry, what? i didn't say nothin'."

 ** _"KISS?"_**

"no way, that was actually more of a peck. what i was gonna say was only just a little _kid_ died - nothin' to worry about."

"Wait── _what?_ "

"what? you want me to explain the kiss or the kid?"

 ** _"The KID!"_**

"shit── you really don't remember _anything_ , huh?"

Dear god, it was taking all you had not to start screaming at this point. Your hands were quickly fastened to his shoulders── eyes widened, the next thing to fill the silence was the sound of bones rattling as well, you quickly became so flustered you started shaking him.

"───w-woah, sweets don't do shakin' up a guy like th───"

 ** _"WHO DID I HURT?!"_** You were squawking. This was a nightmare.

"ju-just the uh - the one who───"  
"WHO **_WHAT?_** "

There's a hand of his on your own, and you stop your shaking. Playtime was over. He'd come to talk.

"───so, that side o'ya hasn't left after all," his voice was low, and soon── you were left locking eyes. _What.._ what was he talking about?

"dunno the circumstance, but by what you were sayin' - you had been pushed pretty bad.  
you'd killed the kid who'd killed undyne ─── and by the amount of blood you had on you back then...

'could say you did it more than once, kiddo."

You feel the rush of you grow cold. A thick swallow is all you could give. You try to look for some kind of inclination he wasn't angry with your actions─── there was.. there was still something about him that was joking around, right?

"───But I.. I don't know how to.. fight _anyon-_ "

"you did. they'd respawned a few times just tryna look for you. 'seems they had quite the.. reason to go after ya," there's a pause, before with a sigh, he plucks your hands off his shoulders, "──m'not here to talk to ya about the killing. if you hadn't fought, you'd be dead and frankly, i don't want that.

but.. i did want ta ask..

..what do you think they _want_ from you?"

You purse your lips. This was.. scary. You'd killed them─── but even more, they'd kept coming for you. They wanted something - they wanted something from your death.

It had to be something more than EXP, but..

"────I used to be something to them, but I don't know why they'd need that back so badly," your hands rested to your lap, you find yourself gripping at the sheets, "I was nothing to them, surely. I was only.. I was only.."

And then, your brows knit─── you look up to Sans.

"Do you think their determination would run out?"

"elaborate, kiddo."

"Humans are determined, but who's the one that clicks on the continue option?  
It's a bit of a stretch, but.."

"you think you've got somethin' they need to continue?"

You nod.

"hmm," there's a bony finger curled to his chin── an interesting theory, "that's a little concerning. while they can go far, their actions have slowed down. heck, even their respawning is.."

He looks to the ground, rubbing at his chin over, and over.  
Eventually, he looks back to you.

"you think they'll get back all of their determination if they kill you? like it would be some kinda reward they get with the exp?"

Again, you nod. Sans could do little but sigh.

But before long, his expression bounces back to that same, warm grin. Within but a second, he's sent forward- jaws pressing to your own, and fingers combing down the back of your hair. O──Oh.

He parts, and you're left looking red, "───aw man, i didn't mean to setcha off like a firework, kiddo," that was a fat lie. He loved it, "i'm gonna go organise some coffee - you wanna chat some more about this stuff? maybe we can go see alphys and you can give an evaluation on metta, yeah?"

It was past your thick blush, that you take a slow, shivering breath── raising your hand,  
before it smacks against his cheek with a brutal WHAP ── and Sans is left yelping.

"───That wasn't cute and spontaneous, that was **stupid,** " and then, you roll forward, dropping a peck to his cheekbone, and smiling yourself, "That sounds nice, Sans."


	25. Chapter 25 - (Another) Shift

_* Quick thing saying sorry (again) for the updates slowing down.  
Work is getting more intense, as well as my art commissions are starting up once more. I can't really say what the new schedule will be - but don't worry, I **am** still thinking of the fic between work and drawing. _

_* Thanks for your patience everyone - And dear **lord,** thank you for all these lovely reviews. 3 You're all wonderful readers._

 _* I'll try my best to update chapters as quick as possible!_

 _-Chesh_


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